The Police Captain and the Surgeon
by Geishaaa
Summary: They thought it was only going to be a one night stand. Continuation of 'Perfect Evening' - IchiHitsu - Human!AU
1. The Police Captain

**HEYA!**

**I have been delving back into IchiHitsu again and goodness me I have missed my boys! I started this fic off the back of my oneshot 'Perfect Evening' though I have changed a couple of details.**

**I will be updating this as I go, but hopefully you won't be waiting too long between chapters!**

…

Toshiro was crumbling beneath Ichigo's touch and kisses. They had only met an hour ago and already they were in the back of an Uber, their tongues intertwined and limbs tangled in an effort to press their bodies closer together.

The Police Captain did not normally do things like this, meeting strange men in nightclubs and inviting them home at the drop of a hat. However, Ichigo, _the surgeon_, was just too charismatic – not to mention absolutely gorgeous – for Toshiro to deny himself, let alone those big brown puppy dog eyes.

They just had chemistry. Electric chemistry, and seemed to just mould together seamlessly. Such as right now, with Ichigo's arms wrapped tightly around Toshiro's waist, Toshiro's leg hitched up over the surgeon's hip, their bodies pressed together firmly. Toshiro could barely feel the car door sticking uncomfortably into his back, and if Ichigo felt the seat belt buckles under his knee, he didn't complain. They were far too caught up in their own world of hot lust to care about trivial discomforts.

It had been Rangiku who had spotted Ichigo first and when he had approached them, she had described him as 'tall, orange and handsome', and that the man certainly was. Toshiro didn't want to think about how satisfied Rangiku would be feeling right now that her plan to find him a hook up for the night was well on its way to succeeding, and he definitely didn't want to think about how he was going to cop her endless teasing tomorrow at work. Still though, he could throw it back at her, since he was certainly positive he was not the only one going home with a new 'friend' tonight - his lieutenant could not keep her eyes off that bartender with the questionable facial tattoos.

Toshiro wondered briefly if Ichigo had any tattoos and whether he'd get a chance to see them tonight, but the thought was quickly forgotten when warm fingers slipped under Toshiro's shirt and caressed his skin over his hip gently – far too gently considering where his thoughts must have been.

Kissing him back harder, encouraging Ichigo to continue, Toshiro hummed as Ichigo's hand slipped further up his shirt and his nails dug lightly into his back. The orange-haired surgeon was now almost entirely on top of Toshiro in the backseat, their pelvises pressed together firmly. If Toshiro rolled his hips a little to spur Ichigo on, well that was his business.

Ichigo hissed, pulling back for a moment after a particularly obvious roll of Toshiro's hips. Toshiro chuckled before Ichigo quickly pinned him back down, lips sucking harshly on his neck and causing the Captain to moan lowly.

"So just up here?" the Uber driver called loudly, voice uncomfortable.

Toshiro might have felt sorry for him on a normal night, but he was in no state to pity anyone right now.

Cracking his eye open, Toshiro lifted his head enough to get a glimpse out the window, seeing the familiar street.

"Yes, just here," he called back to the driver, coming to his senses a little.

The car pulled over and Ichigo and Toshiro practically fell out onto the pavement, legs weak from lust more than alcohol. The Uber pulled away and sped off into the night, undoubtedly happy to be rid of them, but neither man cared, latching back onto each other instantly.

"Come on," Toshiro murmured, pulling back and taking Ichigo by the hand to lead him up to his apartment.

They could have far more fun there.

"Do you live alone?" Ichigo asked in elevator.

"No," Toshiro answered, pressing the floor button again, as if it would make the lift move faster. "I have roommate. His name is Hyorinmaru."

"Oh?"

"He is a grumpy bastard," Toshiro explained. "He won't be happy when I kick him out of bed tonight."

"You sleep with your roommate?"

Toshiro smirked and shrugged. "He's a Bombay."

"He's a cat?" Ichigo chuckled and Toshiro was surprised and impressed the man knew his cat breeds.

"He's a pain in the ass," Toshiro corrected.

Thankfully the lift stopped, dinging obnoxiously to announce its eventual arrival to the correct floor and opening its doors far too slowly for Toshiro's liking. Grabbing Ichigo's hand and dragging him down the hall, Toshiro already had his key in his hand and opened the front door swiftly, pushing Ichigo inside.

He followed immediately and instantly Ichigo had him back in arms, pushing him harshly against the door, the heavy wood locking shut with a loud click. Tongues exchanged, lips moved greedily, clothes were ripped off and breathing became more and more laboured before Toshiro had the good sense to push Ichigo off him long enough to quickly lead him to the bedroom.

The last thing Toshiro heard before their naked bodies hit the mattress was this disgruntled hiss of Hyorinmaru and his quick paws running out of the room.

…

Toshiro woke early, thanks to his six o'clock alarm. The phones vibrations had never annoyed him so much as it did that morning. The Police Captain was warm and comfortable, leaving work the furthest thought in his mind.

Cracking open a bleary eye and quickly shushing his alarm, Toshiro sighed and laid back in the bed. Beside him, the tall and gorgeous surgeon murmured incoherently into the pillow and his arm over Toshiro's middle tightened a little.

Ichigo had stayed the night.

Toshiro had been glad for it - it had been so long since he had been held at night, and truth be told he'd missed it.

Alas, work called and Toshiro could hardly leave Karakura Town without its' Police Captain.

Slowly Toshiro slipped out of bed, moving with caution as to not wake his sleeping guest.

His muscles ached, and his thighs were covered in angry, red bite marks. Toshiro brushed his fingers over them as a gentle smile caressed his lips – it was like some erotic artwork for his eyes only and he loved it. Rangiku would be proud – too bad she would never see it.

Silently slipping into the bathroom, Toshiro caught a glance of himself in the mirror. He looked tired, and could have easy out beat anyone in a bedhead competition if there were such a thing, but he also looked kind of… fresh? Something seemed brighter in his reflection today anyway, and Toshiro was extremely certain it was down to the man still asleep in his bed and the sensational physical release he had gotten last night.

The white haired man hopped into the shower, ducking his head under the just-a-fraction-too-hot spray and groaned softly, his sore muscles responding to the heat.

It felt good.

It was with great reluctance that Toshiro eventually cleaned himself up and turned off the faucet, quickly drying himself off before the cool morning air could catch up with him.

Hyorinmaru was on him the second he heard Toshiro's footsteps coming down the hall, the Police Captain entering his main living space and open plan kitchen in nothing but a towel sitting low on his hips.

"Shhh," Toshiro hissed over the feline's hungry wails. "You'll wake up Ichigo."

Hyorinmaru – with apparently no sympathy for his human or his human's guest's wishes – only meowed louder and more persistently.

Sighing deeply, and knowing no one ever truly won over cat, Toshiro hurriedly got the lump of black fur his breakfast before he went about feeding himself.

"Oh sure," Toshiro muttered over his porridge bowl minutes later when the now fed feline returned, purring and rubbing himself on Toshiro's legs. "Now you're happy."

Hyorinmaru looked up at him, big grey eyes portraying false innocence. Toshiro scoffed and turned away, rinsing his bowl in the sink.

The cat returned to doing cat things, and Toshiro returned to his bedroom, creeping quietly.

He smiled softly, seeing the surgeon still asleep and now basically a starfish on Toshiro's bed; Ichigo really was handsome.

The Police Captain dressed in his uniform quickly; navy slacks with a thick but empty utility belt (he never brought his gun home), a white collared shirt with his Captain's stripes on the shoulder and over the upper left part of his chest, and black tie. He was standing at the mirror, buttoning his navy blue jacket up when the man in his bed finally stirred.

"I like the look of you in that uniform."

Toshiro glanced up from doing his buttons, seeing Ichigo's reflection in the corner of his mirror. The surgeon was lying on his side, propping his head up on his elbow, Toshiro's white duvet down at his waist, exposing the very toned upper torso and biceps the Police Captain had had the pleasure of discovering last night. Toshiro lips twisted into a bit of a smirk.

"I like the look of you in my sheets."

Ichigo chuckled and rolled onto his back, his arms folding under his head.

"What time do you start work?"

"Depends. Eight for today," Toshiro sighed sitting on the edge of his bed to put on his shoes, "but I normally get there early to get a head start on things."

"Do you want me to leave?" Ichigo asked and Toshiro shook his head.

"You can stay as long as you want," he shrugged, moving onto the second shoe. "Help yourself to food. There are fresh towels under the basin in the bathroom if you want to have a shower."

Toshiro didn't have one night stands often or at all actually. He wasn't familiar with social protocol around this topic, or what to do in the morning, especially if they had stayed at his house and now he was the one who had to leave early. It didn't feel right to kick the man to the curb so early in the morning, and Toshiro had nothing overly valuable or incriminating lying around the house if Ichigo was to go through his possessions – not that the surgeon seemed like the type of guy to that, but as a cop, Toshiro knew you could really never be too careful.

"You don't mind if I stay a little longer?" Ichigo asked again, sitting up.

"Just don't let the cat out," Toshiro muttered back.

"I wouldn't dare," Ichigo laughed, shuffling closer until he could get his arms around Toshiro's middle. Those soft lips pressed gently against Toshiro's neck and the Captain tilted his head a little, the hum of content escaping his lips before he could stop it. "I had a really good time last night."

"Me too," Toshiro agreed softly, placing his hands over Ichigo's arms around him.

He barely knew the surgeon, but Toshiro felt comfortable with Ichigo. The man was just a naturally calming presence – so gentle and kind. He hoped he'd get to see him again, if he was being honest, but he wasn't sure if Ichigo was on the same page as him. Toshiro had been at that club last night as per Rangiku's demands, but with the desire to spend one night getting his world rocked, hate himself in the morning and never see the man again. Well, he'd had his world rocked, that was for sure, but the rest Toshiro didn't actually feel, or want. Who was to say Ichigo hadn't wanted the same thing Toshiro had last night, and who was to say he had also changed his mind like Toshiro had?

"I've gotta go," Toshiro sighed, now feeling a little down that this could be the last time he saw the orange-haired man. He reluctantly slipped from Ichigo's arms before standing and turning to face the man sitting tangled his duvet. "Stay as long as you like. My phone number is on the fridge if you need anything."

"Your phone number, hey?" Ichigo's slightly glum expression picked up. "Like your personal one?"

"Don't prank call me," Toshiro found himself smirking a little as picked his Captains hat off the dresser and placed it gently on his head. "I know the cops in this town."

"Clearly," Ichigo returned with a grin.

Toshiro hesitated awkwardly for a moment before he leaned down and kissed the surgeon's lips. It was far slower and gentler than any kiss from last night, but Toshiro didn't want to never see the man again without getting one last kiss in.

"Have a good day," Ichigo murmured when they pulled apart.

Toshiro smiled, "You too."

…

"_Captain!"_

Toshiro sighed deeply as he stepped inside the Karakura Town Police Station, removing his hat and tucking it under his arm, his Lieutenant's shrill voice unpleasant on the ears first thing in the morning.

"Lieutenant," Toshiro blinked at her in surprise. "You're on time today."

"I'm always on time, Sir," Rangiku laughed, quickly falling in step with Toshiro as he made a beeline towards his office.

"You have never once been on time," Toshiro corrected dryly which Rangiku happily ignored.

The police station was quiet right now, but it wouldn't be for much longer. The rest of Toshiro's detective squad would be arriving for work soon, and would relieve the night shift. In a holding cell at the back of the station, a few quiet men moped in their hungover states – Toshiro even though he recognised one or two from the club last night – but would be released soon enough; they were clearly in on drunk and disorderly charges, maybe urination in a public place, but most would leave the station with nothing but a smack on the wrist and terse warning, maybe a fine if they were repeat offenders.

"So," Rangiku drawled in the way it did when she wanted something – or worse, if she wanted to _know_ something. "How was Ichigo?"

Rangiku was his Lieutenant but she was also his best friend. Though she always followed orders and was usually respectful to him in the workspace, the line between their personal and professional relationships had long since blurred. Rangiku was a pain in his ass, that was true, but she was undeniably the most loyal person he had ever known. She had followed him to Karakura to be his second in command when he was promoted to Captain and given a district, not to mention she had followed him into countless dangerous situations in their line of work. She also followed (read: pushed) him into many a gay clubs in their time.

Due to that last one, her grin now rivalled that of Alice in Wonderland's famous Cheshire Cat and satisfaction gleamed playfully in her eyes.

Toshiro tried to send her a withering look, but its' sting was softened by the fact he may or may not have involuntary smiled at Ichigo's name.

Rangiku's eyes grew wider seeing that, and Toshiro's cheeks heated lightly with embarrassment.

Ichigo was not good for Toshiro's stern, humourless work image.

"_Captain,"_ Rangiku gasped softly, surprised and delighted at Toshiro's telling expression.

"Oooh, who is Ichigo?"

Toshiro turned to see Yumichika and Ikkaku, two of his brilliant though rather eccentric detectives, standing by their desk, stripping off their bags and jackets having just arrived.

"I haven't seen the Captain blush like that in a long time," Yumichika continued, voice annoyingly chipper as he turned to his detective partner. "Madarame, have you seen the Captain blush like that recently?"

"Not since Police Chief Kyoraku flashed us all at the Christmas Party last year," Ikkaku commented dryly, looking entirely humoured by the situation.

"Oh my goodness," Momo, the station administrator, cried as she walked in from the elevator, catching Ikkaku's words. "Please don't remind me. I haven't been able to look at a bunch of grapes the same ever since."

Around the room, the officers all grimaced in unison.

It had been a traumatising experience. Toshiro had indeed blushed, though who wouldn't watching their superior officer, and the head of the entire Police Department, dancing naked around the buffet. Police Chief Kyoraku had done exactly that though after one too many Proseccos at the department's Christmas party last year. The man had absolutely no shame, nor any concerns for his job. Toshiro had been mortified, and he certainly pitied Deputy Police Chief Ukitake who was supposed to give his old friend a lift home.

"But back to the matter at hand," Yumichika drawled, shooting Toshiro a sly look as he leaned over his desk, "who, pray tell, is Ichigo?"

"None of your business, Detective," Toshiro answered, voice stern.

"Oh I see," Yumichika smirked triumphantly, eyes flicking to Rangiku for a moment and the Captain turned to see her make a rather rude and suggestive gesture with her hands behind his back.

She stopped quickly when she realised Toshiro had turned to her, but it wasn't fast enough that he or anyone else missed it. He glared death at her while behind him, Momo giggled and Ikkaku snorted.

"Disrespectful, all of you," Toshiro snapped. "Don't make me cut your overtime pay."

That shut them all up quickly, though they likely all knew by now that it was an empty threat, and Toshiro turned on his heal and marched into his Captain's office. Rangiku, of course, followed.

"You never answered my question," she pointed out, voice quieter as she closed the door behind them to give them privacy, "and don't think I didn't see that little smile of yours just now."

Toshiro threw her a look as he sat down behind his desk, reaching over to turn on his computer. She sent him back the same challenging look to let him know she was not backing down any time soon.

"It was a good night," Toshiro answered dryly, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on his paperwork as he flicked through it. "How was the bartender?"

"I never kiss and tell, Captain," Rangiku grinned, sitting down in the chair opposite his desk.

"That's a lie," Toshiro threw back, turning back to his computer to type in his password. "You're always far too liberal with the details."

"You love it."

"I do not."

Rangiku hummed disbelievingly as she leaned back in her chair, "So are you going to see him again?"

Toshiro's answer was a shrug. He honestly didn't know if he would see Ichigo again. The whole premise of their meeting last night had been to have a one night stand together – no strings-attached sex for one night and one night only. Their one night was up, and now it was back to work and back to reality. Did Toshiro enjoy Ichigo's company? Of course. Would he want to see him again? Yes, he would. It wasn't just about Toshiro though, and the Police Captain had no idea where Ichigo stood on the matter, the surgeon may have simply wanted that one night of pleasure before moving on to whatever he wanted next, maybe he did want more, but at present there was no way to tell.

"Do you want to see him again?" Rangiku pressed, leaning forward again with a curious, soul searching expression.

Hesitating in his answer, Toshiro didn't want to come off too keen to see the orange-haired man again. He didn't like expressing his internal feeling, especially romantic ones when his heart was on the line for disappointment and possibly hurt.

"I'm open to it," he settled on eventually, and of course Rangiku responded with an excited squeal.

Shaking his head, he kicked Rangiku out of his office and got stuck into his paperwork, trying not to think about the man he'd left in his bed this morning. He had – sort of – given Ichigo his number, so now it was on the surgeon to make the next move.

Toshiro really hoped Ichigo would make that next move.

…

'_You're watching The Crown?!'_

Toshiro had heard his personal phone buzz sometime after ten but he had glanced over it expecting to see another meme or cat video from Rangiku. What he hadn't expected, but had indeed received, was a message from an unsaved number about his current T.V. show viewings.

It had to be Ichigo.

Picking up his phone at lightning speed, Toshiro opened the message and typed back.

'_Most guys would go through my underwear drawer or raid my food cupboard and yet you're checking my Netflix watch history?'_

'_I'm not most guys,'_ Ichigo texted back instantly and Toshiro grinned at his phone.

That was true.

Saving the new phone number under the surgeon's name followed by a strawberry emoji, Toshiro sat back in his chair with a smile. He was so utterly glad for the privacy of his office right now; his detectives, and most certainly his Lieutenant, would have a field day if they saw his pink cheeks and delighted grin. The Captain couldn't help it though – Ichigo had gotten his number off the fridge and texted him. It was exciting – Ichigo was exciting. There was just something about him that made Toshiro's heart race.

It was weird. Great weird but still weird. Toshiro always took a long time to connect with people; he had always struggled to trust people after years of bullying through school and even early in his career. Men especially Toshiro seemed to struggle with. Kusaka had been an exception, but only because he and Toshiro had been friends for years before they got together, and the long-haired accountant had been so persistent when he wanted to move their relationship to a romantic one. Even then, it had taken months for Toshiro to succumb to his advances. After they broke up, Toshiro didn't think he'd love again, let alone ever want to pursue another romantic attachment.

Not that he was saying he wanted to pursue that with Ichigo just yet. All he knew was that he didn't want to _not_ see or hear from Ichigo again. If that made sense.

'_So The Crown?'_ Ichigo texted again.

Toshiro grimaced. Did watching a drama about the British monarch make him seem gayer?

'_Yeah, I really like historical shows,'_ Toshiro replied, though it probably just made him seem like a nerd now, and a super gay nerd at that.

Though he supposed Ichigo ought to know that about him now.

'_Me too!' _Ichigo replied and Toshiro's breath of relief was immediate.

He saw that Ichigo was typing again and waited patiently until his office phone began to ring and Toshiro grimaced, seeing Momo's extension come up.

For goodness sake, it was like people honestly expected him to be working while all this was going on. Did no one care that he was texting a handsome surgeon right now?!

Toshiro picked up the receiver, "Hello?"

"Sir, it's Police Chief Kyoraku for you," Momo's voice came through the speaker.

Toshiro sighed deeply. Kyoraku calling could only go one of two ways; it was either a social call in which Kyoraku would talk his ear off for an hour and would probably have some awful social invite attached to it, or it was a serious case in which Toshiro would be pressed to solve it quickly.

"Put him through," Toshiro told Momo and a moment later he heard the click of the line swapping over. "Chief Kyoraku, how are you?"

"Ah my boy, I am well," Kyoraku's deep and gravelly voice came through the line, "though the brass is very much on my case about a new weapons dealing syndicate inside the Karakura district. The worst part is the weapons are all stolen police weapons."

Oh, so it was the latter type of Kyoraku called then.

"Police weapons?" Toshiro blinked, surprised. Karakura Town wasn't exactly the most quiet and sleepy town in the country, not being so coastal with all the fisherman docks and cargo ships, but it was far from a high crime capital that would normally deal with something as serious as weapons dealing.

Kyoraku hummed into the phone, "The Kusajishi district picked up a perp with stolen Police Department guns, said he got them from a dealer in Karakura. They ran a check on the name but nothing came up. Unsurprising, since it was probably a fake name."

"Which district had the guns come from?" Toshiro asked. If there had been a load of guns taken from the Department, surely he would have known about it?

"Sokyoku Hill district," Kyoraku answered with a deep sigh, "about two months ago. We've kept a tight lid on it to avoid the media frenzy and public fear."

It was a very tight lid if the other Captains didn't know about it.

Toshiro frowned deeply as Kyoraku continued to explain the situation. Four more men who seemed to have no connection with each other or the first man had picked up over two more districts and had all been caught with the same type of guns. They all explained they had been sold them out of Karakura Town.

This was not good. Weapons dealing was never good, especially if those weapons really got into the wrong hands and especially if they were Police Department weapons. Toshiro felt a little bit sick – he did not want that kind of activity in his town.

"I've emailed you the details and I'm having the physical evidence brought over to your station," Kyoraku instructed. "We need to shut this operation down quickly, Toshiro, before one of our weapons kills someone."

By 'we' he meant 'you' but either way, it was now all of their heads on the chopping block if they couldn't get this syndicate shut down. What it meant was the reputation of the Police Department was on the line, and the brass would be on his back every second of the day until the syndicate was taken down, but Toshiro cared more about the safety of his town than his job.

Things at the station flew into a frenzy after that. The case was to be kept on the down low, so Toshiro held a private meeting in his office with his Lieutenant and best detectives. He briefed them on the situation and sent them off to get started reviewing the facts of the case and looking for a lead to where this syndicate might be operating and who might be involved.

Toshiro was getting calls every few minutes from different higher ups, and he'd had a lengthy talk (read: yell) with the Captain of the Sokyuko Hill district. Eventually, he had told Momo to stop putting calls through to him – to tell anyone who called that he was on a stakeout. He locked the door to his office and shut the blinds and sat back in his chair with his eyes closed for a moment's break.

He loved his job, but it was beyond stressful at times.

His personal phone buzzed again and Toshiro opened one eye to see Ichigo's name on his screen. There was about few unanswered texts there and Toshiro felt bad for leaving him high and dry for the last few hours, even if his work did actually take priority. Still, Toshiro needed his vices so he didn't go mad with the stress of the job and so he picked up his phone.

'_I cannot wait for season three! Helena Bonham Carter is an actual queen (hands up emoji)'  
'Or in this case, a queen's sister (crying laughter emoji)'._

Then there was a few hours break in his messages, when he'd clearly been waiting for a response but Toshiro had been thrown by this new weapons dealing case. The newest message was from a minute ago.

'_Hey, does your stove work? I can't get it to turn on?'_

Toshiro blinked; Ichigo was still at his apartment?

He text back quickly.

'_No, it stopped working a few months ago. I've been meaning to get it fixed but I've been too busy. Sorry!'_

'_Ah not a problem!'_ Ichigo texted back instantly. _'I am well skilled in the art of microwaving'._

Toshiro chuckled at that.

'_There's a pizza in the freezer if you can use an oven'_ he replied cheekily. _'Please don't burn down my place.'_

Ichigo sent back a fire emoji and Toshiro rolled his eyes with a laugh.

Sighing, he put the phone down and returned to work.

…

Relief rolled off the young Captain's shoulders as he stepped out of the elevator and into the familiar hallway outside his apartment.

Finally.

It had been a long day. Long afternoon, really. What had started as a fairly low key day at the station had rapidly become a horrific cocktail of stress and frustration. The new weapons dealer case had taken immediate priority, which loomed heavily over Toshiro's head with the Police Chief breathing down his neck. On top of that, the station had gone into absolute chaos when the internet went down for an hour and Momo couldn't online shop in that time. Rangiku too decided she couldn't work while the Wi-Fi was down and teasing her boss about his one night stand was a better use of her time. Worst of all, they station had run out of coffee by lunch time and Toshiro couldn't caffeinate and therefore his tolerance levels had dropped severely – Yumichika had definitely copped an earful when he started hitting on the drug dealer Ikkaku had busted earlier that day.

The only solace that Toshiro had found was in his back and forth texts with Ichigo. The strawberry was a calming presence, even through text.

The pair had flirted all day. Ichigo must have stayed at Toshiro's place for most of the day since he kept texting the Captain about things around the house, namely broken appliances, his cat, and somewhat mortifyingly, a rather thorough investigation of Toshiro's Netflix watching history.

It was nice though, having someone to text again. It was nice to feel a little bit giddy when he saw Ichigo's name pop up on his phone, and it even felt nice to feel nervous before replying.

He hadn't heard from the surgeon for an hour now, but Toshiro wasn't worried. The man was possibly at home by now, or in transit. The Police Captain did hope that they might pick up texting again tomorrow. Toshiro had the day off and he kind of fancied spending it curled up on the couch around his phone, with a stupid smile on his face and a chuckle in his throat. He was on call over the weekend, but unless something went particularly wrong, it was unlikely he would be needed. He would, however, need to look through this weapons dealer case more closely and hopefully spot something to give him a lead to find the culprit/s.

With that thought in mind, Toshiro groaned softly to himself as he pulled out his keys from his jacket pocket. He hated working on his days off, but unfortunately crime didn't keep to a nine to five working schedule - it was all around the clock work.

Opening his door and a slipping into his apartment before the cat could run out on an adventure, Toshiro paused instantly once inside.

Rich spices filled the air and the sound of clattering in the kitchen had Toshiro curious and mildly alarmed (though it was highly unlikely an intruder was cooking for him). Had Ichigo not gone home?

The surgeon in question was found by the apartment owner, serving up two bowls of something steaming hot and noodle-y. He was wearing black slacks and a plain blue button down shirt - they were articles of clothing that the orange-haired man certainly hadn't been wearing at the club last night, and were far too big to be Toshiro's, suggesting the man had been home and returned, or perhaps to the shops and then returned.

"Got the stove working I see," Toshiro commented, announcing his arrival as a small smile settled on his lips at the sight of the man he had been thinking about all day.

Ichigo turned to face him quickly, a big dopey grin on his face and eyes bright with mischief.

"I did," the surgeon chuckled, putting down the bowls. "Just needed to fiddle with the pilot light a little."

"You make it seem easy."

"Well I am very talented."

"Oh I am aware."

Toshiro had become very aware of Ichigo's talents in the late hours of last night. His tongue in particular was-

"That was only the beginning," Ichigo smirked, interrupting Toshiro's wandering thoughts and stepping closer. The Captain moved closer too, feeling that magnetic pull again. "Welcome home."

They were kissing then. It was slow and gentle, yet still held a level of heat that was surprising and also hard to describe. It had Toshiro once again melting uselessly.

Ichigo pulled away eventually, pressing a cute kiss to Toshiro's nose.

"I made Laksa," Ichigo murmured. "Thought we could have a quick dinner together before I leave for work and also I think you could use a home cooked meal."

"Are you assuming I can't cook?" Toshiro challenged playfully.

"I am assuming you can cook, based on the quality of your pans alone," Ichigo chuckled, leading Toshiro over to the kitchen bench where the two bowls of hot Laksa sat cooling, "but I also assume that you don't do it often given you said your stove has been out for months."

The Captain grimaced. Ichigo was right – Toshiro could cook, but he didn't. He could blame not having enough time in the evenings, or not wanting to deal with the mess when it was far more convenient to just slap some avocado on toast and call it a night, but the truth was that cooking for one sucked. He had cooked every night when Kusaka had been in his life, had loved feeding his boyfriend and had revelled in the endless praise that his food was _'to die for'_. Now Toshiro didn't have anyone to feed and sitting at the table with a full plate of food by himself was depressing, it just reminded him that he was very much alone.

"Shall we sit?" Ichigo asked.

Toshiro nodded, shaking himself from his stupor, and grabbed the bowls, leading Ichigo over to the small dining table.

Was this an impromptu date? Toshiro felt like he should have put some flowers in vase or at least lit a candle as they sat down together, the Police Captain stripping off his uniform jacket and loosening his tie, his hat long forgotten back on the kitchen bench.

"How was work?" Ichigo asked, sticking into his meal.

Toshiro sighed and Ichigo chuckled.

"That bad, huh?" Ichigo asked, a sympathetic smile on his lips as he reached for Toshiro's hand, his thumb gently stroking across his knuckles.

The man was so affectionate, even though he had met Toshiro less than twenty-four hours ago, and had only spent a quarter of that actually in his presence. Well, conscious presence anyway.

The Captain had been about to explain all about his day but after bringing his first taste of Ichigo's Laksa to his lips, he was rendered incapable of thought, let alone words. All he could do was moan in satisfaction, probably a familiar sound to Ichigo after last night, and shovel more into his mouth.

"Like it?" Ichigo asked, a smirk on his face.

Toshiro could only nod, a mouth full of noodles hindering any speaking. It was spicy, but luckily Toshiro loved spice. It was authentic and the ingredients were obviously fresh. Most importantly, it was genuinely homemade from scratch, a taste that no restaurant or manufacturer could ever replicate perfectly.

"It's amazing," Toshiro managed eventually, taking a moment to breathe before he choked on it. It was just so good, it was hard to eat it slowly. "How did you learn to make Laksa like that?"

"My sister taught me so I would have something I could cook at med school," Ichigo shrugged. "I mean I can't cook much else actually, but I do believe I make a pretty mean Laksa now."

Toshiro agreed with a nod, once again mouth filled with soup – it was possibly the best Laksa he'd ever had. Rangiku actually made a decent one too, and he was going to have fun winding her up tomorrow that he now tasted a better one.

"I'll have to make you my Thai green curry one day," Toshiro murmured.

"You'll have to," Ichigo smiled back at him.

The meal passed quickly as Ichigo had to head off soon. He told Toshiro he was supposed to be heading to work for the evening shift at the hospital and how much he hated the evening shift – something Toshiro could also relate to. Despite the somewhat rushed meal, it was a very comfortable companionship they shared. It almost felt like he had known Ichigo for years the way Toshiro felt so at ease in his presence.

He learned a little more about the surgeon over their quick dinner. He was thirty and an older brother to his younger sisters, twins Karin and Yuzu. His father was also a doctor and ran a small family practice – Ichigo had actually mentioned that at the club last night. He lived on the other side of town with his high school friend Chad and Chad's boyfriend Uryu.

"That's quite far from the hospital," Toshiro frowned a little, thinking about all the late night and early morning finishes the surgeon would have. It would be a challenge to get home at those times, especially after a long day of being on his feet and performing surgery.

"I usually ride my bike," Ichigo sighed, standing up from the table, clearly needing to leave. "It keeps me alert."

_And fit,_ Toshiro added mentally.

The Police Captain cleared the table quickly, dumping the bowls in the sink. He returned to the living room quickly, where Ichigo was standing by the door putting on a long white doctor's coat, Hyorinmaru weaving around his ankles happily.

"Someone's made a friend it seems," Toshiro chuckled, bending down to pick the black feline up, positive that the little cat would attempt to follow Ichigo to work.

"Yeah, he's cute," Ichigo laughed, fixing his collar.

"Now that's a lie," Toshiro scoffed. "He's a terror."

An absolute terror, much like the woman who had given him the cat, Toshiro's insufferable Lieutenant.

Ichigo smirked, patting the cat on the head in farewell before he dipped down and kissed Toshiro's lips. Heat radiated off his body and they pressed themselves close together until the cat got stuck between them and let out a disgruntled hiss.

They broke apart with a breathless chuckle.

Toshiro couldn't stop grinning – Ichigo made him feel things he hadn't in a long time.

"I like the look of you in the doctor's coat," Toshiro commented dryly, referring back to what Ichigo had said that morning when he woke up to Toshiro in his uniform.

The strawberry laughed before his expression suddenly turned flirty.

"You should see me in my scrubs," he winked, and Toshiro smirked. Yes, he would like to see that.

Regrettably, the time for Ichigo to leave came and the surgeon opened the door and stepped out in the hallway. Toshiro stood in the doorway as the man headed to the elevator, hoping this wasn't the last he saw of the man who made his heart beat twice as fast.

Ichigo's finger seemed to hover over the elevator button for a moment, a flicker of hesitation on his features. Toshiro raised a curious eyebrow as the man turned back to face him and the surgeon marched quickly back up the hall to Toshiro.

"Can I take you on a date?" Ichigo asked quickly. "Like a real one?"

Toshiro blinked, the suddenness of the question and the nervous twinge in Ichigo's voice surprising.

"Yes," Toshiro answered. "Yeah, I would like that."

"Good," Ichigo seemed to breathe in relief, his smile growing so wide it left little dimples in his cheeks that Toshiro hadn't noticed until now. "Good. I'll text you and we can sort out a day."

"Sounds good," Toshiro smiled back, the cat now starting to fidget restlessly in his arms, wanting to run off.

They kissed again, lingering a moment or two longer than necessary but Toshiro wasn't complaining and neither was Ichigo.

"I'm going to be late," Ichigo murmured against his lips, making no attempt to pull back, "but you're so worth it."

Inside the Police Captain's chest, his heart skipped a beat.

…

**I write faster when I receive reviews ;)**


	2. The Surgeon

**Yo yo yooo.**

**I consider this a rather quick update for me, but I am loving writing this fic right now so it is coming along far quicker than I thought.**

**Also I had based my entire police captain-related knowledge on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, but when I got to Ichigo's surgeon side of things, I realised I have never really watched a medical show other than bits and pieces of House back in the day. Anyway for that, I am sorry, I know nothing about surgeons or hospitals. My apologies to any experts out there, please forgive me and humour me going forward. **

**Arigato **

…

Getting to work from Toshiro's apartment was far quicker than coming from his own home, and even despite the extended farewell kiss, Ichigo made it to the hospital in good time.

The surgeon didn't like working the night shift, very few people did, but fortunately he had been able to sleep a good portion of the day away at Toshiro's. With a few good hits of caffeine, he would make it through the night fine. Karakura Town hospital did not need its' surgeons becoming lethargic on the job.

"Good evening, ladies," Ichigo grinned, arriving at the main desk to find his long-time friends and now colleagues, Orihime and Tatsuki, pouring over a clipboard.

They glanced up at him and smiled. Well Orihime smiled, Tatsuki smirked.

"Ichigo!" Orihime called excitedly, arms already open for a hug. "How are you?"

"I'm good," he answered, returning the hug quickly.

Orihime was the head nurse at the hospital. Her favourite place to work was the children's ward, since she was so bubbly and good at cheering up the kids, but when she was promoted, she found herself centralised in the Emergency Room. Taking everything in her stride, Orihime used her personality to provide a sense of calm in the otherwise hectic, and often panicked, ward.

"I bet you are," Tatsuki's voice was sly and when Ichigo glanced over to her, her expression was even more so. "Good night, was it?"

Ichigo had almost forgotten all his friends had been at the club last night, his attention entirely focused on the attractive teal eyes across the room.

"It was an amazing night," Ichigo chuckled, moving to hug Tatsuki who seemed less appreciative of the affectionate gesture.

"Oh that's right!" Orihime gasped, clapping her hands together. "You met that guy! What was his name?"

"Toshiro," Ichigo told them. "He's the Police Captain here."

"You love a man in a uniform," Tatsuki smirked.

"You know it," Ichigo winked.

Meeting Toshiro last night had been fate. Ichigo was a man of science and medicine but he also believed that things that were meant to be, would be. He honestly felt like he was meant to meet Toshiro at the club but that it wasn't supposed to end after one night. That's why he hung round all day for the Captain to return from work and why he felt the need to ask him on another date before he left.

Toshiro was stunning – physically the most gorgeous creature Ichigo had ever laid eyes on. His eyes were pools of beautiful icy teal that Ichigo could get completely lost in. His hair was shockingly white, but it just complimented his look so well. His body, as Ichigo had discovered last night, was perfection in human form. Unsurprising given his occupation, but the white-haired man was in the best possible shape for his size; he was obviously athletic, his body rock hard beneath those clothes, his stamina unparalleled – a nice surprise for the bedroom.

Physical appearances aside, Ichigo believed Toshiro to be kind, loyal and brave, with a wicked sense of humour under the police cap. He was intelligent too; he would have to be in his line of work. Most of that was just a sense Ichigo had when looking at the man, since he really hadn't been able to get to know him yet. He was hoping to open up the gift that was Toshiro a little more on their first proper date.

"I'm going to see him again," Ichigo told the women, unable to help the smile as he did so, and of course Orihime cooed.

He couldn't help it. Toshiro made him feel excited in a way he couldn't quite explain.

"Okay Lover Boy," Tatsuki rolled her eyes. "As much as I want to hear about your nightly escapades with the Captain of Police, we do actually need to get you into surgery. You know, before that kid's appendix explodes."

That sobered Ichigo up quickly. His work – especially where innocent lives were on the line – always had to come first.

He was a general surgeon. He did usually work with appointments scheduled ahead of time, but there was a significant portion of his work that was emergency-related, and therefore he was often kept on call on his days off. Rukia was the main trauma surgeon in the ER but Ichigo was frequently called up to the plate when the ward got particularly busy.

"Rukia's in surgery now with a car accident patient," Orihime answered Ichigo's question before he could ask it. "Going on four hours now, so you'll need to take the appendix case."

Tatsuki already had the clipboard in her hand and she and Ichigo set off as she filled the surgeon in on his new charge.

"Her name Kae, she is nine years old," Tatsuki started rattling off the details. Everything was relevant; age, height, weight, medical history and allergies – _everything_.

"When was she brought in?" Ichigo asked, taking the clipboard himself and reading over it as they walked.

"A couple of hours ago by her mother," Tatsuki explained. "All the tests have come back conclusive – it's a straightforward appendicitis condition, but it looks like it could rupture in the next twenty four hours. We're getting her prepped for the appendectomy as we speak."

Ichigo nodded and entered the patient's room, putting on his more upbeat persona he used for the younger patients. The nine-year old girl was curled up on the sterile bed, a comfort bear – dubbed 'Surgery Bear' by the nurses – from the children's ward tucked under her arm. She looked terrified, though thankfully not in a lot of pain thanks to the nurses and their pain-killing drugs. Her mother didn't look much less scared, and there was a hint of guilt on her face – it was common to see the parents like that in a case like this, when they blamed themselves for not taking the stomach ache complaints seriously at first and now being able to do nothing but sit and let the doctors handle it. The middle aged woman was sitting in the chair beside her, clutching her daughter's hand.

"Hi Kae," Ichigo greeted the girl with a big smile. "My name is Ichigo, I'm going to be looking after you tonight."

The girl looked at him but didn't speak, apprehension in her eyes.

"I hear you've got a bit of a sore tummy," Ichigo sent her a sympathetic look. "My friend Tatsuki here tells me your appendix has gotten a little infected and we need to take it out for you."

"It's better now," Kae tried to assure him, sitting up a little. "The medicine has worked, no need to cut me open."

Her mother chuckled a little and Ichigo had to purse his lips together a little bit to stop a reaction. Understandably, most kids feared surgery. They didn't love the idea of being made to sleep while a strange person 'cuts' them open – who did?

Ichigo smiled at the girl and pulled up a chair to sit beside her and opposite the mother. He tried to explain the best way he could that the surgery was still needed, even though the 'medicine' the nurses had given her had taken away the pain.

"It's a very quick procedure these days," Ichigo continued, sounding upbeat and positive again. "It's called 'keyhole surgery'; you won't even get a scar."

Kae pouted.

"Can my mum come?" she asked, relenting slightly.

"Yes, of course," Ichigo smiled. "Your mum is going to come and hold your hand. You can even bring Surgery Bear with you if you want?"

He gestured to the teddy in the girl's arm; the poor thing was almost having its' stuffing squeezed out of it.

Of course, Kae's mother and the bear couldn't be in the theatre once the surgery began, but they could be while the anaesthesia took hold. They would be there while Kae was put to sleep and back before she woke up in the recovery ward. It was a bit of a white lie, but it was far easier to calm a nervous child down when getting them ready for surgery.

"Okay," Kae agreed, perking up a little and Ichigo grinned, offering the nine year old a high five.

He left then to get changed into his scrubs and meet the rest of his team in the operating theatre. Tatsuki was a theatre nurse and was going to assist him with it, but there would also be an anaesthetist and a few more nurses to ensure everything ran smoothly. An appendectomy was fortunately one of the simpler, more straightforward surgeries in this day and age and Ichigo had performed many over his career.

It was just another day at the office for him.

…

When Ichigo finally got a chance to sit down, it was twelve hours since he had walked in the door to see Tatsuki and Orihime by the main desk.

He was exhausted.

The appendectomy at the start of the evening had been the simplest one of the lot. After that, he was pulled into emergency after emergency, dealing with everything from severe alcohol poisoning to a man who had been stabbed during a drug deal gone wrong. At one point, Ichigo had snapped at a crying teenager who refused to tell any of the staff what her boyfriend had consumed to make him start vomiting blood.

And that was just a casual Friday night in the ER; a barely controlled chaos.

Finally, sometime around eight in the morning, he was able to get out of the ER, head over to the children's ward, and catch up with Kae to see how she was doing. The drowsiness of the anaesthesia had worn off and she talked his ear off for the better half of an hour despite his check-up not lasting more than a few minutes.

It had been a long night but finally his shift was over and he had changed and headed to the canteen to get a bit of breakfast before going home. He was starving, sticking into his boring chicken sandwich quickly, his Laksa with Toshiro seeming like a distant memory now.

_Toshiro._

Ichigo couldn't help but grin again. Excitedly, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and texting the Captain.

'_Finally finishing work (tired emoji),' _Ichigo texted. _'Hope you slept well (smiley emoji)'_

"What are you grinning at?" a voice called and Ichigo glanced up as Rukia flopped into a seat opposite him in the canteen.

"What are you still doing here?" he asked, frowning as he noted the exhaustion in her expression and movements.

Rukia had started her shift hours before he had!

"Car accident," she sighed, folding her arms on the table and resting her head on them. "Old lady fell down the stairs, another car accident, and a drunken fisherman who accidently shot himself in the foot with his spear gun if you can believe that."

"I can," Ichigo sighed, rubbing his face. In his line of work, he had seen it all. "Happy Friday?"

"Woo," Rukia sighed unenthusiastically.

Friday nights were by far the worst night in the ER. Generally speaking, they tended to deal with a lot more drinking and party drug related cases, or injuries sustained from being drunk or on drugs. It was frustrating when people took things too far and hurt themselves or others in the process, and clogged up the ER. There had been a boy with a broken arm sitting in the ER for hours waiting for a doctor to be able to see him, but when you're dealing with people that are vomiting endlessly or have blood pouring out on the floor, a broken bone gets pushed down the priority list.

"Are you going to eat here or at home?" Ichigo asked, patting his tired friend on the shoulder so she didn't fall asleep at the table.

"Home," Rukia yawned.

"I didn't bring my bike today," Ichigo told her. "Do you want to split an Uber?"

Rukia nodded, since she usually caught the train to and from work. Karakura Town was basically a city these days, and the parking around the hospital was shocking, even for the staff that worked there and got it for free. It was just easier to take public transport or ride in.

Ichigo nodded and pulled out his phone again to book a driver, but a new message from Toshiro distracted him.

'_I slept well up until 0600 when this bastard decided he was hungry'._

Toshiro had attached a photo to the message. It was selfie taken in bed, the captain lying on his side, his face half covered by pillows and a tired expression on his face. It wasn't hard to work out the 'bastard' he was referring to, and Ichigo chuckled seeing Hyorinmaru, Toshiro's black cat, curled up on the captain's head, it's two pointy ears sticking out from the messy white locks of his owner.

"You're grinning again," Rukia frowned up at him. "We're too tired to grin."

Ichigo smiled wider and showed her the picture, her frown dipping deeper as she processed what she was seeing. After a moment, her eyes lit up in recognition.

"That's that guy!" she exclaimed, suddenly rather awake it seemed. "From the club!"

"Toshiro," Ichigo informed, quickly catching her up in all the details.

"You are smitten," Rukia commented, smirking as Ichigo concluded his story, the two of them now waiting outside the hospital on the curb, waiting for their Uber.

Ichigo flushed and tried to stammer out that he wasn't, but in all honestly, he was a little bit smitten. It was weird, he knew almost nothing about the guy other than he was neat, too busy to cook, kind of liked his cat, and was good in bed.

Oh man, he needed to take this man on a date so bad.

"I'm teasing, I know," Rukia chuckled, "but you haven't been in a relationship in years now. You haven't really dated at all. It's just nice seeing you so giddy again."

The Uber pulled up beside them and Ichigo and Rukia slipped into the backseat. Unlike the last time he was in the backseat of an Uber, Ichigo's hands remained folded in his lap, a slight frown on his brow as he considered Rukia's words.

He hadn't dated much since he and he is ex, Renji, broke up three years ago. He was still kind of friends with Renji, since the burly redhead was still closely linked to Rukia and her family, but he held no romantic feelings for the man at all, and vice versa.

Now that he thought about it, he wasn't sure why he hadn't dated much since then. He supposed with the move back to Karakura Town and stepping up into an official surgeon role with complicated hours, it was hard to find the time. Maybe that was just an excuse? Ichigo hated the dating game; he did better once he was in a relationship so it was unfortunate that the game had to come first.

"Do you think you'll want to get in a relationship with Toshiro then?" Rukia asked, eyeing him up even through her tired eyes. "You did ask him out on a date."

Ichigo exhaled slowly.

"I'm open to it," he told her carefully. "We'll go out on our date and then I'll see how I feel and if I want to continue to see him."

He quickly remembered why he didn't like the dating game. He hated developing feelings for someone to have the crushed down the track. He didn't want to tell Rukia how he was honestly feeling about Toshiro because if he got disappointed down the track, it would be hard to convince his friends he wasn't heartbroken.

"One step at a time," Rukia nodded in agreeance before she rested her head against Ichigo's shoulder and closed her eyes.

One step at a time; that was a good way to approach it.

Ichigo pulled out his phone as Rukia fell instantly asleep on him, and he opened back up the message from Toshiro, unable to stop the smile that formed instantly when he saw the picture again.

'_So when do you want to go on our date then?'_ Ichigo texted.

One step at a time.

…

Ichigo snuck another glance – his ninth glance since picking the Police Captain up for their date not fifteen minutes ago – at Toshiro, his eyes drifting dangerously from the road to the handsome man beside in the car seat beside him.

Toshiro looked _fine_ tonight. Gorgeous, actually.

Clad in dark fitted jeans and a light coloured button down, his hair was the same controlled mess that seemed to be his standard look. His eyes, teal as ever, seemed to shine even brighter. His smile, Ichigo's favourite part of him, was carefree and happy as he laughed at whatever silly nonsense had just poured out of the surgeon's mouth.

Ichigo couldn't help it, his usually sharp brain turned to mush around the shorter man. He stumbled on his words, told stories wrong, pronounced words incorrectly; he was an utter mess.

"That did not happen," Toshiro laughed, shaking his head in disbelief.

"It definitely did," Ichigo confirmed with a chuckle. "It was the most embarrassing moment of my life."

"You wet your pants on a date?" Toshiro repeated sceptically.

"It was only a little bit," Ichigo defended quickly, though he was grinning ear to ear. "I had just drunk two pints of water and he kept tickling me. I tried to tell him to stop but I was laughing too hard, and then, well _you know_."

Toshiro pursed his lips but the chuckle still escaped.

"I hate being tickled," the captain stated.

Ichigo made a mental note of that, but whether that was something he was going to refrain from doing or planning to do to cheekily annoy the white-haired man, he hadn't decided.

After he had texted Toshiro earlier that morning as he left the hospital, they had ended up exchanging texts all day. The Captain was off work all weekend, though he was technically on call, but they decided to 'risk it for the biscuit' and go on their date that night, both seemingly unable to wait any longer.

Ichigo_ really _couldn't wait. As it was, he spent all day (minus the few hours of sleep he had gotten) wandering around the house, a fidgeting ball of excitement, itching for time to go faster so he could finally see Toshiro again. Even Chad, his quiet roommate who rarely spoke, let alone inquired in other people's business, couldn't help but comment on Ichigo's restless state. Thankfully Chad's boyfriend Uryu hadn't been there, because he would have definitely made some snarky comments about it.

Ichigo had even gotten ready for the date too early. He was showered and dressed in his navy button down shirt and chinos almost an hour before he had to leave the house. He arrived at Toshiro's apartment twenty minutes early and then had to sit outside in his car because he didn't want Toshiro to know how desperate he was to see him.

Thankfully, it had been worth the wait. Toshiro had greeted him at the door, looking fine as Hell and there may have even been a sneaky kiss or two under the threshold.

"Come on," Ichigo grinned, sneaking another look at the man beside him. "What's your worst date story then?"

Toshiro hummed in contemplation as he seemed to think about it for a moment.

"I guess I'd have to say my first date ever," Toshiro offered at last.

"What happened?" Ichigo asked.

"Well we had this dance at school and the guy I had a huge crush on asked me to it," Toshiro explained. "I was so excited."

Keeping the smile to himself, Ichigo couldn't help but vision a younger, teenage Toshiro, all giddy and dressed in a prom suit.

"But on the night, he didn't show up."

"What?" Ichigo blurted, brought harshly back to reality and remembering this was a 'worst date' story. "He stood you up?"

"Yeah, I was so upset," Toshiro frowned for a moment, but then a hint of a smile returned. "My Granny felt so bad for me, she put on her best dress and offered to be my date for the night."

Ichigo's heart melted and he actually cooed out loud.

"That's so sweet," he smiled.

"Oh yes, she had a lovely time," Toshiro grinned back. "So did I, actually. Maybe it wasn't really my worst date then, though it obviously wasn't romantic and it did open me up to a world of bullying afterwards."

A wave of sadness and protective instinct washed over Ichigo as he glanced over at the petite man beside him, trying not to see him being pushed around and shoved harshly into lockers by bullies. The man in question didn't seem concerned by the memories or brought down in anyway though, he just seemed relaxed, unconcerned.

"Sounds awful," Ichigo commented quietly.

Toshiro shrugged, his lips twitching slightly, "I think they were just jealous of my date, can't blame them for that."

That brought back Ichigo's grin; Toshiro really was something else. He was like a breath of fresh air in a stale world. The surgeon supposed the white-haired man needed thick skin and a positive attitude to handle what he must have seen and experienced in his line of work. To be a police anything – Captain or lower officer – you needed to be brave, you had to be strong, you needed a big heart but at the same time, you couldn't let emotions get in the way. You had to be detached, and yet not devoid of feelings.

It was the deal as a surgeon, and it was such a fine line, one that was way too easy to cross. How could they not become emotionally attached when they had people's lives in their hands?

Thankfully, Ichigo didn't have to dwell on it much longer as their destination came into sight.

He pulled the car into the parking bay and the two men stepped out of the car.

The sea breeze hit them, but it was nice under the late afternoon sun. The smell of the ocean was relaxing to Ichigo, and it brought back so many early memories for him.

Ichigo had brought Toshiro to the Karakura Town Pier. Well, there were many piers around the docks but this was the main one. It was a popular spot for locals and tourists alike, with restaurants lining the wharf and some pop-up shops further out on the main pier. Over summer, a carnival set up on the pier, with rides and games, junk food and various novelty experiences. It was his favourite place as a child, but now Ichigo cared more for the view and atmosphere than the rides and games.

"I thought we could grab some take away fish and chips and find a quiet spot on the pier to sit and eat," Ichigo suggested as he and Toshiro stepped onto the wooden deck of the wharf, "maybe catch the sunset?"

Ichigo was hoping he and the somewhat mysterious man he'd met in a nightclub could have a far slower date tonight, without the rush of either them needing to go to work or the lust from grinding on the nightclub dancefloor to cloud their vision. He wanted to get to know Toshiro properly, for the man he really was.

"Sounds perfect," Toshiro smiled again and Ichigo's heart fluttered in response.

They walked around the pier for a while, not quite hungry just yet. It was late in the season but the pier was still quite busy. The carnival was the same every year, and the one Ichigo was showing Toshiro around was almost an exact replica of the one he had enjoyed with his younger sisters when they were all kids. Ichigo told Toshiro about the time he had though he had lost a ten year old Karin at the carnival, and completely panicked until he found her minutes later at the basketball shooting game, determined to beat another ten year old boy's ass at it.

"Are you still close with your sisters?" Toshiro asked as they watched a father desperately trying to win a unicorn plushie for his young daughter in a duck (duck-shaped cardboard cut outs) shooting game.

"Yeah," Ichigo grinned. "Karin is travelling at the moment, nursing overseas where she can, but Yuzu is here working at Dad's clinic."

"Medicine runs in the family I see," Toshiro commented, another smile playing at his lips.

"Well Dad is a GP, Mum was paediatrician and I grew up in a house with a medical clinic attached to the back of it," Ichigo laughed. "It was a natural path."

If Toshiro picked up on the past tense when Ichigo spoke about his mother, he didn't say anything.

"And you enjoy it?" Toshiro asked instead, turning to him with a curious expression.

"Yeah," Ichigo smiled. "I love it. I love helping people."

Toshiro hummed, "Me too."

The pair walked around a little more, and at one point Ichigo – goodness knows why – felt the need to impress Toshiro with his muscles by hitting an oversized hammer as hard as he could against a scale that would obnoxiously measure his strength. Actually he knew exactly why; there had been another man trying to do the same thing when they had walked past, and this burly dude had no issues getting the highest strength level measured. Of course the alarms and carnival ding dongs had gone off, the lights spinning madly, as the man was presented a giant teddy bear, which he promptly gave to his swooning girlfriend. Toshiro had said 'wow' and that had been the decider for Ichigo.

"I can do that," he had found himself saying, despite not knowing if he could, in fact, do that.

"I'm sure," Toshiro had replied, voice a little bit challenging.

Half to prove him wrong, half to impress him and win him that same stupidly huge teddy, Ichigo stepped up to the plate, handing the rather bored looking game attendant a bunch of game tickets.

Of course the first attempt had been a disaster, the scale barely reaching the level it referred to as 'tired toddler'. Ichigo flushed as Toshiro visibly held in the chuckle, the man looking thoroughly entertained by the whole thing. Grudgingly, Ichigo handed over another bunch of tickets the game attendant.

The second attempt went about just as well as the first, this time the scale lighting up only one level higher, 'Grumpy Granny'.

"That's what I call my grandmother" Toshiro commented from the sidelines with a smirk. "It just makes things worse when she's mad though."

Ichigo pouted pathetically at him until Toshiro eventually rolled his eyes.

"One more, you can do it," Toshiro's tone changed to encouraging and he clapped his hands together like he was a proud parent at a child's sports game.

He was grinning again and Ichigo couldn't help but love that. _Damn it,_ he needed to win that man a teddy now.

Spurred on and with new found resolve, Ichigo handed over more game tickets before he pulled the oversized hammer over his head, fixed his stance and then barrelled down, slamming the hammer as hard as he could down on the scale. The lights on the measure shot up, past Tired Toddler, past Grumpy Granny. It was shooting to the top, to 'Strongman Steve'. Then, just when Ichigo thought he had done it, the lights stopped just short, at the second level from the top, 'Muscly Mama'.

It was a little disappointing, considering how close he had been to the top, but Toshiro looked impressed nonetheless and Ichigo still won him a prize.

"Here you go, Handsome," Ichigo grinned, handing over the small novelty keyring.

"Wow," Toshiro grinned, looking genuinely excited to receive it, his eyes lighting up when he saw what the keyring was.

It was a black cat dressed up in a sailor's outfit, 'Karakura Town' written underneath.

It was that or peg-legged pirate with a pipe in his mouth and Ichigo figured the cat was more fitting.

"I love it," Toshiro laughed, seemingly growing more excited as he pulled out his keys and put it on the ring.

Ichigo grinned; he liked making Toshiro happy.

"Do you want to have a go at it?" Ichigo asked, gesturing to the hammer game.

Toshiro scoffed.

"No one needs to see that," he rolled his eyes. "My strength doesn't lie in my muscles unfortunately."

"Where does it lie then?" Ichigo teased.

Toshiro glanced up at him, teal eyes narrowing as he regarded him for a moment. A slight smirk formed at his lips as he straightened a little.

"Do you really want to see?" he asked, voice a little cheeky. "I don't want to scare you."

"I think I can handle it," Ichigo found himself straightening too, more than keen to show off his bravery.

He normally wasn't one to show off for anyone, even a gorgeous date, but something about Toshiro made Ichigo want to be everything the Captain could ever want. He wanted to be more than he could ever want.

Toshiro's smirk went full wicked and he grabbed Ichigo's hand, leading them back the way they had come. Ichigo wasn't paying attention to where they were going precisely though, his mind zeroing in on their connected hands and relishing in how soft the Captain's skin was. He held on, allowing Toshiro to lead him, his brain working to come up with more excuses to hold hands with the cop later. Leading him somewhere was now high on the list of strategies – it was simple, unassuming and, most importantly, effective.

Suddenly their hands were separated and Ichigo missed Toshiro's warmth instantly. It was with great restraint that Ichigo held back the pout and questioning look as he glanced back up at the captain. Toshiro had stopped in front of the duck shooting game again, his eyes narrowed in focus.

It clicked in Ichigo a moment later.

"Now this I need to see," he breathed as Toshiro handed over the tickets to the game attendant.

He was given the ridiculously sized yellow gun and told to go for it. He had a minute to shoot down as many ducks as he could; eight to nine ducks would get him a keyring like the one Ichigo had won for him, ten to eleven ducks would get him a small bear, but all twelve ducks would get him one of the giant plushies – the unicorn had gone so the father must have ended up winning it for his daughter, or maybe he gave up and bought it.

The clock started and Toshiro began to fire.

Twelve foam bullets, ten seconds. All ducks were down.

Ichigo's eyes were as wide as they had ever been and the game attendant choked as the lights and bells started to go off.

"Damn," the surgeon breathed, amazed and has Toshiro predicted, a little bit frightened.

He was a police officer so of course he knew how to aim a gun and shoot, even if that gun was just a novelty nerf gun, but seeing how he hadn't missed a shot and got twelve ducks down in even less the amount of seconds was impressive and a little unnerving.

"Pick one," Toshiro told Ichigo when the game attendant pointed a shaky arm to selection of giant plushies.

Ichigo's eyes went wide, his tongue useless as he became utterly speechless. He pointed lamely to a teddy bear with white fur and a green-blue bowtie. The game attendant got it down and handed it to Toshiro who then turned to Ichigo and held it out to him.

The thing was almost as big as the Captain holding it, and if he hadn't been so lost for words, Ichigo might have had the sense to make a comment about it or at least taken a picture.

He accepted the bear, its' fur soft but not a worthy rival for the softness of Toshiro's hands.

"Thank you," Ichigo managed eventually. "I um, I feel like I should win you something more than a keyring now."

Toshiro shook his head quickly.

"No way," he said. "I love my keyring, and I can take it anywhere."

Those teal orbs were genuine and the small smile playing on his lips seemed just as sincere.

He was just too beautiful.

Ichigo tucked the bear under his arm, which was hard considering how large the thing was, and stepped closer to Toshiro. The Captain, perhaps instinctively knowing what Ichigo wanted, stepped closer too and tilted his head up. Ichigo brought their lips together, his free arm wrapping around Toshiro's middle and bringing him that bit closer.

It was gentle, slow and just that little bit familiar. Ichigo grinned into this kiss at the thought of learning how Toshiro kissed and liked to be kissed.

They broke apart and Ichigo brushed bit of Toshiro's hair out of his teal eyes, wanting to see those beautiful irises undisturbed. He noted the faint dusting of pink on the man's cheeks and grinned.

"Want to get something to eat now?" Ichigo asked softly and Toshiro nodded.

Using his new tactic, Ichigo took Toshiro's hand and led him back down the pier towards the restaurants and take away shops. They picked one that was Ichigo's favourite as a kid, and ordered some fish and chips to take away. It was cheap and nasty, but Toshiro seemed delighted by the casualness of it and Ichigo was relieved to have gotten the plans for this date right. Some men needed to be wined and dined in fancy restaurants, but Ichigo never liked that kind of a date. It was too stiff and formal; he would rather eat greasy food with his hands outdoors in the sunshine.

The pair headed to a quieter spot on the pier and sat with their legs dangling over the edge. They had an unadulterated view of the ocean stretching out to the horizon, where blue sea met bluer sky. The sun was sitting low, ready to drop down to the other side of the word, and it was lighting the sky in the most magnificent golden orange. Ichigo glanced over to Toshiro to make a comment about it, but his words were once again lost in his throat at the sight of the man.

His skin was just as golden as the sky, his hair shining in the sun. He stared out at the sea, almost transfixed by it.

"I love living by the sea," Toshiro commented, take a hot chip out of the pile between them biting the end off.

"Where did you live before here?" Ichigo asked, also taking a chip.

He knew very little about Toshiro at this point. The captain was a listener more than a talker, that was for sure, whereas Ichigo was very much a talker, especially when felt comfortable around someone.

"I was in Shino before here," Toshiro answered. "That's where I joined the Police Force and met Rangiku. I worked up to a Lieutenant before I got offered the Captaincy position here."

Ichigo nodded. He'd never been to Shino, there was nothing much there except the big Shino Academy for police and military. It was in the middle of the country, very inland, no sea.

"Did you grow up there?" Ichigo asked.

"No, I grew up in Junrinan," Toshiro replied, a ghost of a smile appearing. "My Granny still lives there so I go back whenever I can get time off."

Now Junrinan was coastal, Ichigo knew that because he had holidayed there once with his family. It was up north and was a much smaller district that Karakura Town, far less city-like, but it also sat on the edge of the sea. It was a slow and sleepy town, but it was beautiful if the surgeon remembered correctly.

It was about the third time tonight that Toshiro had mentioned his grandmother. He must have been a bit of a Nana's boy growing up, which delighted Ichigo to no end.

"You're close with your grandmother then?" Ichigo asked and Toshiro nodded.

"Yeah I am," he murmured, smiling a little. "She actually raised me. My parents died when I was a baby."

Ichigo's heart dropped, and he felt guilty for bringing up a painful topic for the man, even if it was an important detail for Ichigo to know if they did continue to date.

"My mother died when I was eight," Ichigo found himself saying quietly, looking down at the pile of fish and chips on top of the paper bag they had come in. "I know how much it hurts."

"It would have been worse for you," Toshiro's voice was sympathetic. "You remember her, and remember what it felt like to lose her. I never had that; I don't remember them at all."

"I still had my dad and sisters," Ichigo glanced back up to find Toshiro staring at him, eyes searching his.

"I still had Granny," Toshiro told him, "and I had a wonderful childhood with her."

Ichigo wasn't sure if they were turning their losses into a competition of 'who had it better' but it was by no means bitter or negative. He only felt empathy and support from Toshiro, who appeared to feel similar or at least not unhappy.

They continued to eat their dinner as the sun slowly set, exchanging their growing up stories. Things took a happier turn after the dead-parents conversation. Ichigo loved Toshiro's stories; it sounded like the Captain had really had a positive role model in his grandmother. He spoke so fondly of her too, and Ichigo was glad to hear that even though she was quiet old, she was healthy and her mind sharp, and still very social.

It looked like the aim of the date was being achieved; Ichigo was learning lots of things about Toshiro, from his upbringing to his life now. He really was a wonderful man, and it seemed that the things he had sensed from Toshiro about him being brave and kind were indeed true.

"Sounds like Rangiku is a bit of a handful?" Ichigo asked, a chuckle bubbling in his throat when the Captain spoke of his Lieutenant's party-girl personality.

"She is," Toshiro rolled his eyes and groaned a little. "Did you know she appointed herself my best friend? Literally the day we met at the Shino Academy, she came up to me and said 'we're going to be best friends' and I didn't even get a say in it."

Ichigo laughed, remembering the bold blonde he had met at the club.

"She got her way of course, she always does," Toshiro half complained, half smiled, "and she's also my Lieutenant so she gets to annoy me all day at work."

"And then forces you into gay clubs after work?" Ichigo smirked.

Toshiro rolled her eyes.

"That too," he huffed, "and now she gets to brag about how successful it was."

"She wanted to get you laid?" Ichigo guessed, remembering how encouraging the Lieutenant had been when Ichigo had approached them.

"She's particularly proud that we're on a date right now," Toshiro commented dryly.

Ichigo smirked. It sounded like he had the best friend tick of approval and that was essential in building a good relationship. For Toshiro in particular, who had moved here fairly recently and didn't have much of a social circle or any family in town, having Rangiku on board was likely very important to him.

"Why did she want to get you laid anyway?" Ichigo asked, breaking the last chip in half and handing one side of it to Toshiro.

"She thinks it's been too long."

"How long?" Ichigo asked curiously. They hadn't really spoken much about their sexual or dating history, aside from their worst date stories.

"Six months," Toshiro accepted the half chip from Ichigo.

"That's not bad at all," Ichigo chuckled. "I really haven't had a lot of sex since my last boyfriend three years ago. I'm not really one for casual flings, only very rarely when I've felt a bit lonely."

"Is that what you were feeling that night at the club?" Toshiro asked, curious expression on his face but no judgement.

"Not really," Ichigo shrugged, answering honestly. "I was there for my housemate's birthday. I just saw you and felt really drawn to you, y'know?"

A flicker of a smile played at Toshiro's lips.

"Rangiku was pushing for me to go home with someone," the Captain admitted, "but I really wasn't planning to. I felt drawn to you too."

Ichigo's heart skipped a beat. It was good to know that picking up men in bars wasn't a thing Toshiro normally did or even had fancied that night they met. Instead, the reason they had gone home together was because they had felt the same spark and chemistry.

"Well I am glad you did," Ichigo smiled and Toshiro grinned back.

Just like that they were leaning back in for another kiss. With what was left of the food between them, Ichigo was reluctant to pull Toshiro closer to him so he settled with one hand on the Captain's knee and the other one cupping his face as they leaned into each other.

The surgeon didn't know how long they had been kissing for, but it must have been awhile because they only seemed to pull apart when a cold chill blew through them and Toshiro broke off this kiss with a shiver.

It was dark now. They had been kissing so long they had missed the sun finally dipping below the horizon and taking the last of daylight with it.

"When did that happen?" Ichigo choked on a laugh, staring out at the dark sea in confusion.

"About half an hour ago," the Captain answered, glancing down at his watch.

They shared a confused glance before they both started chuckling, which then turned to all out laughing.

They had set each other off, and were now unable to stop. It was funny that they had been so wrapped up in each other that they had literally missed the day turn over into night, like kissing Toshiro was like falling into another world where time ceased and they were alone, but it shouldn't have been so funny that they were in tears laughing over it. Ichigo couldn't stop though, he neither could Toshiro it seemed.

"Stop," Toshiro gasped in vain, clutching his side. "I have a stitch."

"You stop," Ichigo accused through laughter. "I'm about to wet myself again."

That just sent Toshiro howling even more.

His laughter right now was the real, unadulterated kind – the kind that couldn't be faked or put on. It was genuine and infectious and neither of them were able to pull themselves together.

Ichigo loved every second of it.

It took a while but they eventually calmed down, Ichigo stopping first when another shiver racked through Toshiro's petite frame.

"Come on," Ichigo stood and extended a hand to Toshiro. "Let's get you out of this cold."

Toshiro took his hand and was lifted up with easy. They collected their rubbish and the giant teddy bear and headed away from the pier. Ichigo wished he had brought a jacket, if only so he could lend it to Toshiro, but he had left it in the car, not thinking he'd really need it in August.

"Why did you pick this one?" Toshiro asked, tugging on the giant teddy's ear as they carried it to the car together.

"It reminds me of Surgery Bear," Ichigo answered. "It's a little teddy we have in the Children's Ward that we lend to kids going into an operation."

"That's very sweet," Toshiro murmured.

"Yeah," Ichigo grinned. "We find it calms them down when they're getting prepped and while the anaesthesia is setting in."

The humongous plushie did remind him of an oversized Surgery Bear in a way – that way being that it was also a teddy bear, just far bigger – but the real reason Ichigo had picked it was because of the colouring that reminded him so much of the man who had won it for him; white fur like Toshiro's hair, turquoise bowtie that was similar to the colour of his eyes. In all fairness, Ichigo had just witnessed a cardboard cut-out duck massacre and told to pick a teddy instantly, and he had kind of panicked. He was glad Toshiro didn't pick up the similarities in their colourings, or at least didn't comment on it.

In the car they spoke a little more about their work. Toshiro told Ichigo about how he rose through the ranks and taking on his first command, how he loved it but it also stressed him out to no end. Ichigo sympathised with that, often feeling stressed by the pressure of the ER when he was in it. The orange-haired surgeon also had a vision of a potential future that made him smile – he and Toshiro in a steady relationship, coming home from a tough day at work to each other. Toshiro would cook, Ichigo would do the dishes, and then they would settle down on the couch together, with Toshiro's cat probably curling up between them.

Ichigo really liked the idea of that.

Reaching Toshiro's apartment building came too quickly and Ichigo parked the car with a sigh.

"I had a really nice night," Toshiro murmured, his big teal eyes just visible under the dull light of the street lamp outside the car.

"I'm glad, me too," Ichigo smiled back, eyes flickering to Toshiro's mouth for a moment as the Captain softly bit his lip.

It was irresistible, and the surgeon leaned over the gear stick to kiss Toshiro once more. This kiss was far more heated than the ones earlier in evening, even the one that had lasted beyond the sunset. Toshiro kissed him back with the same amount of passion, his delicate fingers sliding into Ichigo's hair and gripping it.

Ichigo was planning to send Toshiro home with an unforgettable kiss, wanting to be on the man's mind all night long. The Captain seemed to have other plans though, plans that involved Ichigo not only being on his mind all night long, but also on his body.

"Do you want to come up?" he breathed when they pulled a part for breath.

Ichigo swallowed and nodded quickly.

"Yes," he whispered back.

Toshiro leaned back into a new kiss, appreciative of the response, and Ichigo melted against him.

He couldn't help it; he had feelings for the Captain, there was no denying it now. He'd planned to take one step at a time and see what happened but instead of stepping he was stumbling, tripping and hurdling towards the Police Captain. He was falling.

Ichigo was falling _hard._

…

**Now that you have heard from Ichigo, pretty please pop a review below.**

**Catch ya on the flip!**


	3. The Father

Ichigo woke in a bed that wasn't his own, but one that had certainly become familiar. On his chest, a familiar weight rested, warm and comforting, breathing evenly and curling tightly into Ichigo's side. Over his ankle, another familiar weight rested, this one lighter and purring.

Familiar – that's what Toshiro had become to Ichigo, and not only the man himself but his apartment, his bedroom and even his cat.

Dipping his head down, he planted a soft kiss to Toshiro's forehead and in return, received a tired but happy hum and leg thrown haphazardly over his.

"Morning, Handsome," Ichigo murmured, dragging his fingers up and down the Captain's bare back, feeling the ridges of his spine.

Another hum sounded from the smaller man's lips, this one deep and satisfied, and oddly similar to the purring Hyorinmaru was doing at Ichigo's feet.

The surgeon bit back the chuckle but the grin he couldn't stop even if he had tried.

It had been a few weeks since he had met Toshiro and they had spent their first night together, following it up with a first date. The men were both leading very busy lives, and their schedules were rather erratic due to their work, so finding nights to spend together wasn't always easy, but they made the nights they could spend together worth it.

Due to the inconsistency in their schedules, Ichigo had been unable to find the right moment to talk to Toshiro about what their relationship really was. The little time they got together felt rushed at times as they felt the need to get it all in – a meal, sex, maybe a sneaky cuddle, before they needed to get to sleep or get to work. Or maybe they were both just skirting around the conversation?

Ichigo knew he wanted. He'd spent enough time getting to know the Police Captain now to know that he wanted to call the man his boyfriend. They had such perfect chemistry and the white-haired man was just downright addictive, in every sense.

"G'mornin'," Toshiro finally replied with actual words – or close enough to them.

His voice was groggy and his movements slow and lethargic, but a pair of soft lips pressed against Ichigo's chest in a chaste kiss and his lean but toned arm tightened over the surgeon's middle. Ichigo responded by squeezing back gently, allowing the man to wake up at his own pace.

_Today was the day,_ Ichigo decided. They had both been looking forward to it since they had discovered they had a mutual day off coming up a few days ago. Of course, they were both technically on call to their respective jobs if needed, but they were going to take advantage of whatever time they were given. Ichigo was going to use it to have the conversation with Toshiro that he had been wanting to have for a while now. He wanted to find out where the Captain stood and if he, like Ichigo, was wanting to take whatever their relationship was now to something more official and serious.

"You're so cute first thing in the morning," Ichigo teased, poking the Captain's side, the man grunting and flinching away from it.

"I thought I was always cute?" Toshiro quipped back, his mind obviously kicking back into gear.

"You are," Ichigo chuckled, "but especially when you're all sleepy and cuddly."

Toshiro's hand battered his chest weakly, but he only seemed to curl into Ichigo more.

"You're warm," he murmured happily and Ichigo held him tighter, pressing another kiss to the man's snowy crown.

The surgeon was prepared to wait patiently for Toshiro to wake up properly, always loving their cuddly moments when they got to have them, but unfortunately the cat had less patience.

Apparently hungry, or maybe just to be an ass, Hyorinmaru stood, stretched his back and then wailed at the top of his voice.

"Alright, you bastard," Toshiro groaned, reluctantly sitting up and Ichigo immediately pouted, losing the warmth of the Captain's body pressed against his. "I'm coming."

The cat did not stop it's incessant meowing, even as Toshiro slipped out of bed, pulled on his sweatpants and scooped the kitty up on his way out the kitchen. Ichigo chuckled, hearing the man grumble sarcastically to the cat from the other room as he went about getting him fed. Toshiro would speak and the cat would meow back, like they were actually having a conversation. They were quite a pair, and Ichigo adored them both.

Slipping out of bed himself, Ichigo pulled on the jeans he had been wearing the day before and followed Toshiro out into the living room. He found the cat eating happily and Toshiro standing over Hyorinmaru with a bitter expression as he sipped on a glass of water.

"Never get a cat, Ichigo," Toshiro muttered. "They're not as independent as people tell you. It's a lie they tell you to rope you in."

"You love him," Ichigo chuckled wrapping his arms around the cop's waist from behind, propping his chin on Toshiro's head as he too began watching the cat below.

Toshiro's response was an unconvinced grunt.

Ichigo laughed again and dipped down to press a kiss to Toshiro's shoulder.

"What are we going to do today?" Ichigo asked. "We both have the day off."

That seemed to brighten Toshiro's mood, the man taking his eyes off the cat and turning in Ichigo's arms. His teal eyes were beautiful as ever and bright in the morning light.

"I'm thinking I'll make us some breakfast," Toshiro started as he lightly traced Ichigo's chest with his index finger, "then maybe we could take a shower together. You know, to save water and all that."

"Smart," Ichigo agreed, lip curling in humour. "Then what?"

Toshiro shrugged. "Maybe we head outside? It's rare we see natural light these days."

Ichigo nodded, eyes rolling. They had both been so busy with work. Ichigo was stuck in operating theatres while Toshiro had been working on a major case (though he couldn't discuss it) that had him confined to his office a lot of the time, often late into the evening.

"Maybe we could go to Karakura Town Park?" Ichigo suggested. "There are quite a few things to do at the park if we want to decide there."

"Sounds perfect," Toshiro's smile grew.

He stretched his neck up and tilted his head as Ichigo came down, their lips meeting in the middle in a wonderful kiss. It was deep; slow at first but measured and still highly passionate, but then when tongues slipped in Ichigo was sure they were going to forgo the breakfast and hit the shower first. That was until – very frustratingly – Ichigo's stomach growled loudly.

The surgeon pulled back from the kiss with a groan as Toshiro pulled back with a laugh.

"If it's not the cat, it's you," he teased, untangling himself from Ichigo's arms as the doctor pouted. "Come on, let's get you fed too."

He smacked Ichigo's butt as he slipped past, leaving the orange-haired man blushing.

He sighed; he supposed his conversation with his hopefully future boyfriend to be would have to wait until he could be sure his stomach wasn't going to interrupt them.

…

"Ichigo, stop," Toshiro wheezed, tears of laughter in his eyes as Ichigo tickled him relentlessly.

"Never," Ichigo teased, though he did actually stop, his arms wrapping around the Police Captain from behind and keeping Toshiro's back pressed tightly against Ichigo's chest as they stumbled down the bookstore aisle.

"You're such a pest," Toshiro smacked Ichigo's arm gently as the surgeon chuckled and leaned down to press a kiss on the smaller man's neck.

Their day out together was going fantastically.

They had gone to the park as planned and walked around in the sunshine, hand in hand and swapping stories. They had laid on the grass for a while too, surrounded by stripped off sun bathers trying to soak up the last of the summer sun. Just before lunchtime they had decided to feed the ducks down by the pond, after Ichigo had told Toshiro how his mother had used to take him and the girls down on weekends to feed them, so they popped into the closest supermarket and returned to the park with some uncooked oats for the ducks.

On the way to lunch, they had stumbled across an old fashioned bookstore that was – ironically – brand new in town. Both being quite avid readers, and Toshiro in particular, they had decided to head in quickly and have a look around. Ichigo, however, had found his attention slipping from the books to his date, warmth spreading in his chest as he watched Toshiro's eyes light up as he scanned the shelves.

He was just too cute, and Ichigo couldn't resist tickling him and wrapping his arms around him.

They moved down the aisles of tall oak bookshelves as Toshiro continued with determination to look at the books, while Ichigo stumbled happily after him, refusing to let go of the Captain's waist.

"Oh I've heard about this one," Toshiro murmured to himself, stopping in front of a shelf and plucking a book out.

He opened it up, his eyes skimming over the author's note at the front. He tilted his head just slightly as he did so and Ichigo's eyes fell to the perfect slender neck that was now exposed to him. He pressed his lips to Toshiro's skin gently at first, and then again with a little more pressure when Toshiro hummed contently.

"You're distracting me while I'm trying to read," Toshiro muttered, shutting the book with a snap.

"Sorry," Ichigo grinned into Toshiro's neck, his arms tightening around the Police Captain.

He wasn't sorry, and Toshiro wasn't annoyed. He couldn't have been, as he turned in Ichigo's arms to face him, his slim but toned arms wrapping around Ichigo's neck and he bit his lip seductively.

"You are incorrigible," he smirked.

"I can't help it," Ichigo grinned, already leaning down. "You're irresistible."

They both smiling stupidly by the time their lips connected. He was grateful that the bookstore was quiet today, only a few other people milling around in the fiction section. Not that their kiss was hot and heavy, but it was a step over the PDA level Ichigo preferred people to witness. His arms were around Toshiro's waist while Toshiro's were around his neck, their dopey grins still in place even as they kissed with more vigour.

His plan to ask Toshiro to be his boyfriend officially was still his top priority for the day, and he was hoping to discuss it over lunch. He wasn't nervous; Ichigo was sure Toshiro was just as into him and figured he was much more of a relationship man than someone interested in just a fling.

Ichigo was excited to ask him, and nothing was going to stop him now-

"Is that my favourite son I see?" a voice boomed suddenly beside them – a voice that was all too familiar to Ichigo and far too loud for this quiet bookstore. "Locking lips in the true crime section?"

Ichigo and Toshiro separated faster than thought physically possible, and a wide eyed and flustered Ichigo found himself face to face with his father.

He was going to explain but no words came out of his mouth and Isshin grinned madly. The older Kurosaki then turned to Toshiro, who Ichigo had momentarily forgotten was there, and reached out to shake his hand.

"I'm Isshin Kurosaki," Isshin said proudly, "I'm Ichigo's handsome father."

Toshiro hesitated for only the slightest of moments before he shook Isshin's hand back.

"Toshiro," he managed.

"You're a shy one, aren't you?" Isshin chuckled and Toshiro flushed.

"Dad!" Ichigo cut in quickly. Of course Toshiro seemed shy! He was just found kissing the man's son in a bookstore and they had never met, let alone defined his relationship with said son. "What are you doing here?"

"Buying a book, of course," Isshin's tone was even but his smirk was devilish as he held up some new release romance novel that had a sticker announcing it was now 'a hit motion film' – his dad was a sucker for cheesy romance books and movies. "What are _you _doing here?"

"Also buying a book," Ichigo scoffed like it should have been obvious and gestured to the book still in Toshiro's hands. The Police Captain seemed to have forgotten he was holding it but remembered suddenly at Ichigo's motion to it and held it up to Isshin quickly.

Isshin raised an eyebrow. "Yes, it certainly looks like it."

His tone was total sarcasm, not believing them for a second, but Ichigo stared back, daring his father to challenge him.

'_I'm on a date, Old Man. Don't you dare-'_

"Have you had lunch yet?" Isshin asked them, eyes alight with mischief and blatantly ignoring Ichigo's silent threats.

"We were just about to," Ichigo answered coolly.

"Excellent," Isshin clapped his hands together. "Let's go to the pub. It's my treat."

"Oh no, that's okay, Dad," Ichigo started, feeling Toshiro shift uncomfortably beside him.

"I insist," Isshin grinned. "I don't get to see my son very often these days."

_Right to heart, thanks Dad._

Ichigo sighed slowly, relenting as Isshin's smile grew wider. He didn't want to look at Toshiro after having put them in such a difficult position. Isshin was a bold man, very confident, very suggestive. Meeting him was often a confronting experience to newcomers to the Kurosaki family. If Toshiro was to be his boyfriend, he would have to meet him one day… Though since Ichigo hadn't actually got around to having the particular conversation with Toshiro, they weren't boyfriends yet and this experience might ensure that they never would be. Five minutes with Isshin and Toshiro could very well run for the hills, and honestly Ichigo wouldn't blame him for it.

Maybe to make a point, or maybe because he actually wanted it, Toshiro bought the book he had been holding while Isshin bought his romance novel before the three of them headed to the pub around the corner. Isshin chattered happily to them, while Ichigo only talked back when he had to in order to keep the man talking about the clinic or the girls, or anything but Ichigo and Toshiro. Toshiro was noticeably quiet and Ichigo cringed inwardly at how their one day off in ages had turned so awkward and uncomfortable.

They reached the pub Isshin was talking about and to be fair, it was a very nice establishment. It was a traditional English-style pub that had a very cosy and warm feeling to it. They found a table by the window that had deep armchair type seats and looked out across the park and pond below.

"Here we go," Isshin returned with three dark coloured beers and a table number for their meals.

Ichigo sighed taking a small sip of his beer. He wasn't supposed to drink while he was on call, and he imagined that Toshiro wasn't supposed to either, but one beer with lunch would be nothing. He felt bad watching Toshiro take small sips of his, trying to keep the distaste off his face; the Police Captain wasn't a beer drinker, usually preferring wines, spirits or cocktails.

"So Toshiro," Isshin settled in his seat opposite them. "What do you do?"

"I'm a Police Captain," Toshiro answered. "I oversee the Karakura Town department, mostly the detective squad."

That was the most confident he had sounded so far, but Toshiro generally was more confident speaking about his work. Ichigo had never seen him at work, but he imagined that Captain Hitsugaya was far more self-assured than Toshiro at home who was sweet and mostly timid. Ichigo supposed it was a little the same for him at work. Surgeon Ichigo was calm and level-headed, but day-to-day Ichigo was far more playful and loud. Everyone was different at work.

As their meals were brought out and they got stuck into their lunch, Isshin gushed over Toshiro's career, getting the white haired man to tell him all the crazy stories from his time in the force. Many of them Ichigo hadn't heard before and many of them worried him, hearing about Toshiro and Rangiku being shot at, in various car chases, taking down criminals twice their size, thriving on fear and adrenaline.

"I'm a bit more tied to my desk at the moment," Toshiro admitted, "but in a way that's good too. I can do more from there sometimes."

He gave a weak smile and Ichigo knew he was talking about improving the Police Department more than crime on the streets. He could confront the negatives from inside and remove them to make a difference on the outside. Sexism, racism, homophobia, brutality – he could fight it from a captain's position more than a detective's.

"That's incredible," Isshin exhaled proudly, beaming at Toshiro but the Captain shook his head, his slightly flushed cheeks _almost_ going unnoticed.

"It's nothing compared to what Ichigo does," Toshiro smiled softly at him, "or you, or anyone in your family apparently."

Isshin chuckled at that.

"We tend to them when they're hurt," Ichigo murmured, taking Toshiro's hand under the table where his father couldn't see them, "but you try to stop them getting hurt altogether."

"You also help people who get sick for no reason," Toshiro pointed out, clearly about to make this another one of their slightly morbid competitions, the last being over who had a worse time losing their parent(s). "I can't do anything about that."

Ichigo was about to rebut but Isshin's grin in the corner of his eye had him holding back.

"Where did you two meet again?" Isshin asked, like he had known once but that wasn't true.

Ichigo opened his mouth to respond, though he wasn't sure that he wanted to tell his father the truth that they had met in a nightclub and gone home together within an hour of meeting. He never got the chance to answer though, as at that moment his pager went off.

It was the hospital.

Ichigo groaned and excused himself from the table for a moment, walking outside with his phone and trying not see the distress on Toshiro's face as he left him alone with his father. Ichigo dialled the hospital number and Orihime picked up.

"Are you calling me into work on my one day off with Toshiro in weeks?" Ichigo sighed into the phone. He always felt bad for not wanting to be called in, since it was usually an emergency situation or the hospital being short staffed and that was not the patients' faults.

"I'm sorry," Orihime sounded guilty but rushed. "We're understaffed and we've just had a car accident come in with multiple patients. They're seriously injured and need surgery now. Rukia is here and she's looking after a young boy but there is still a nineteen year old woman who needs urgent surgery."

"I'll be right in," Ichigo grimaced and hung up the phone.

He had to, he couldn't ignore it. He didn't want to ignore it either because it sounded like innocent lives were on the line. Again.

He hurried back inside and grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair.

"I'm sorry I've got to go," Ichigo explained quickly. "It's emergency at the hospital."

"Go then," Isshin waved him off without a bat of an eyelid, understanding instantly. "Toshiro and I will carry on without you."

Toshiro looked horrified at that but didn't say anything to stop Ichigo and all the surgeon could manage was an apologetic look before he was flying out the door and flagging down the next available taxi.

He felt awful for leaving Toshiro with his father, and sighed heavily when he realised he had never got the chance to ask the Police Captain to be his boyfriend. He knew though, that he would feel worse if he chose taking the day off over his patient's life.

'_I'm sorry,'_ he texted Toshiro quickly in the back of the cab but the captain didn't respond.

…

Ichigo sat in the hospital canteen, hunched over on the uncomfortable plastic chair with his head in his hands and the haunting tone of a flatlining heartbeat ringing in his ears.

He felt sick.

He had lost a patient tonight. It was the first patient he'd ever lost.

"Here you go," Orihime's dulcet tone reached his ears, somehow she was louder than the imaginary ringing Ichigo could hear.

The surgeon glanced up as a steaming tea was slid towards him; herbal, because she thought he needed calming. Maybe he did.

He took the tea, because it was easier than arguing, but it sat in his hands as he made no attempt to drink it. Ichigo could feel Orihime's concerned stare boring into him.

"You did everything you could," she told him gently.

Ichigo nodded slowly. He knew that, but it didn't make it easier.

His patient had been in the front passenger seat in the car that had crashed head on into an oncoming truck. Her name was Anna. She was nineteen years old, and she had her whole life ahead of her.

She _had_ had her whole life ahead of her.

Ichigo swallowed and looked at the floor again.

They had run courses on this at medical school, but it hadn't prepared Ichigo in the slightest. He doubted anything could.

He had done everything he could. All the nurses had backed him. Rukia had backed him. Nothing took away the sting and horrific guilt though.

Ichigo had been the one to tell the family too. He'd had to; it was his responsibility. They cried and screamed, torn apart. The driver, the mother, had died on the scene – dead before the paramedics had even received the call. Ichigo's patient, the eldest daughter, now joined her mother in wherever souls ended up after they leave their bodies on Earth. The only hope they had left was that the family's younger son, Rukia's twelve year old patient, would survive the night and remain on here with his father and extended family. He was stable but critical; he'd actually been in worse condition than the daughter and with his age in mind, Rukia had taken him on while Ichigo rushed to the hospital to get there for the daughter.

He wondered, if he had been at the hospital when they had been brought in, would his patient have survived then?

"Don't do that," Orihime ordered, though her voice lacked bite, and she rubbed his back smoothly. "I know what you're thinking but don't."

Ichigo nodded, knowing he wasn't supposed to play the 'what if' game, knowing it wouldn't help or change the past. What could he do to fix that in the future anyway? He couldn't spend every second at the hospital.

"You should go home," Orihime sighed, checking her watch. "I can drive you."

"I don't want to go home," he murmured.

He didn't want to go home to any empty bed and an empty house. If Chad was there, he was probably with Uryu, and probably asleep. He suspected neither of them would appreciate the wake up at whatever ungodly hour it was.

"Well you can stay at mine if you want?" Orihime offered. "My shift is done in an hour. Or I can drive you to your dad's?"

Ichigo frowned at that. He didn't want to be thirty and running _Daddy Dearest_ when things got tough (though Isshin would probably encourage that). Besides, his father was a madman and Ichigo wasn't in the mood for his antics after today, embarrassing him and Toshiro like that.

Oh god, he'd forgotten about that until now.

Ichigo pulled out his phone. He had no new messages from Toshiro, but he did have several from his father. The messages were many and lengthy in content. So many words for Isshin to say so little; He liked Toshiro apparently. Why that took twelve essay length texts, Ichigo would never know. There was also a picture attached that had Ichigo groaning internally.

Isshin and Toshiro at the pub. Isshin was grinning and had his arm over Toshiro in a tight hug (could be easily mistaken for a head lock). His father was grinning madly, and Toshiro looked entirely bewildered and maybe a little bit terrified.

Great.

Before Ichigo even registered what he was doing, he had pressed the little phone symbol next to Toshiro's name, initiating a voice call. He could blame it on being worried his father might have scared Toshiro off, but the real reason Ichigo's finger had automatically dropped on the call button was that he desperately needed to hear the man's voice tonight.

It was only after he had started the call and heard the ringing tone that Ichigo took note of the time. It was half past three in the morning, almost fourteen hours since Ichigo had been paged to the hospital, and two of those hours he had spent in the canteen, staring at the ugly pattern on the floor.

He went to hang up, thinking Toshiro wouldn't answer a call at three-thirty in the morning and hoping he hadn't already woken him, but just before he could, the call connected.

"Hello?"

Ichigo heard Toshiro's voice through the speaker. It was crackly and groggy, but it was undeniably his and Ichigo exhaled a breath that he felt like he'd been holding since the young woman on his table flatlined.

He brought the phone up to his ear quickly.

"Hey," Ichigo cleared his throat. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. I didn't realise the time."

"Rangiku says 'if it's after two-thirty, the call is dirty'," Toshiro replied, his voice still very thick with sleep.

Ichigo couldn't help but give a weak chuckle at that. In spite of everything that had happened tonight, Toshiro could still make him smile.

"What's up?" Toshiro asked then, his voice starting to sound more awake now.

"Can I come over?" Ichigo asked. He knew he was pushing his luck at this time of the night but he didn't want to be anywhere else, least of all this damn hospital.

"Of course," Toshiro hummed softly. There was some rustling that Ichigo assumed to be Toshiro turning over in bed or even sitting up. "Everything okay?"

_No._

"Yeah," Ichigo answered, unwilling to talk about it over the phone, with Orihime still beside him.

It might have been something in his voice or perhaps the hesitation, but Toshiro must have sensed something was up.

"Do you want me to pick you up?" the Captain asked, his voice low and unsure.

Ichigo hesitated again. Orihime had offered to drive him, though he would have to wait an hour or make her leave her shift early. Toshiro seemed to decide for him though, his hesitation seemingly answer enough.

"You're at the hospital right?" Toshiro asked, and this time Ichigo was sure the shuffling he heard was the Police Captain getting out of bed. "Text me where to meet you. I'm on my way."

All Ichigo could manage was a weak 'okay' before Toshiro was telling him he'd see him soon and hanging up. The line went dead and Ichigo pulled the phone down to stare at the black screen.

He felt relief, but he also felt guilt. He felt a lot of guilt, and not just about getting Toshiro up at three-thirty in the morning.

He just wanted to go to bed, Toshiro's bed that was, and cuddle with him and even the bloody cat. He just didn't want to think about the poor girl on his table, and her family that probably wouldn't sleep tonight.

He texted Toshiro where he'd be and walked outside the hospital doors, grateful for the fresh air. Orihime, despite her shift continuing on without her, waited outside with him, talking his ear off in what was likely an attempt to distract him.

It didn't take long until Toshiro was pulling up beside them.

"I'm sorry," Ichigo cringed as he got in the car, seeing Toshiro yawing behind the wheel, dressed in his pyjamas with Police Department hoodie thrown over the top. "I shouldn't have asked you to come get me."

"You didn't ask me," Toshiro commented.

His hand, which had previously been resting on the gear stick, came up to cup the side of Ichigo's cheek, his thumb stroking his skin softly. Teal eyes bore into him and Ichigo could feel the emotions starting to rise in.

The monotone of the flatlining heartbeat continued to ring inside Ichigo's head.

"Are you okay?" Toshiro asked, voice soft and full of care.

Ichigo couldn't speak, so he tried nodding, but his face was contorting in a way he didn't love, and hot tears filled his eyes. He looked away, out the window and into the dark street, and Toshiro, understanding, pulled his hand back, letting it fall to Ichigo's shoulder instead. Ichigo gasped a breath, trying to stop a sob, feeling even worse at having Toshiro witness him getting so emotional. The Police Captain gave his shoulder a squeeze before the warmth left Ichigo and a minute later, Toshiro wordlessly handed him a tissue.

Ichigo felt stupid for crying, but he couldn't stop it. He hastily wiped his eyes and nose as Toshiro shifted the car into drive and pulled away from the curb silently.

Eventually the gentle hum of the car's engine, and Toshiro's soothing hand returning to his shoulder, rubbing slow circles, allowed Ichigo to calm down. He rested his head against the window and shut his eyes, trying to focus on the sounds around him instead of the haunting flatline he could still here.

At one point, Toshiro pulled into a McDonald's drive-thru and ordered them a sundae each.

As it turned out, they both preferred caramel.

"I lost my patient," Ichigo breathed out at last, sundae spoon in hand, staring down into the half empty plastic cup.

"I'm sorry," Toshiro said back, his voice gentle.

That was all that was said on the matter. Ichigo didn't feel like saying any more on it, and he was grateful for Toshiro not saying much on it. The surgeon didn't want to hear about how it wasn't his fault, how he did the best he could or how he couldn't let it get to him.

He wondered if Toshiro understood that too. Being a Police Captain, he may have lost someone he was trying to protect too. The captain didn't say, and Ichigo didn't ask.

When they arrived back at Toshiro's apartment block, the pale light of dawn was starting to emerge. Toshiro took Ichigo's hand and led him up to his door wordlessly. They entered the apartment, and Toshiro scooped up the black cat that had padded out to greet them. In silence, they headed straight to the bedroom.

Toshiro let the cat down on the foot of his bed and stripped off his Police Department hoodie as Ichigo all but ripped off his doctor's coat and clothes, not wanting any part of that world right now. They slipped into the bed and Ichigo tried not to cringe, seeing the time was well after five in the morning now. At best, Toshiro would get another hour or two of sleep in before he had to head to work.

"Hey," Toshiro seemed to catch his thoughts as they laid their heads on the pillows, teal eyes boring into brown. "I'm glad you knew that you could call me."

Ichigo wanted to apologise again, but Toshiro's expression said 'don't you dare'.

Gently, the Captain cupped Ichigo's cheek again, and closed the gap to kiss him. It was chaste but lingering, closed lipped but passionate. Toshiro pulled back and adjusted so he could rest his head on Ichigo's chest, his arm wrapping over Ichigo's middle and holding him close. Ichigo returned the hold, resting his cheek on Toshiro's soft snowy hair.

At their feet, Hyorinmaru seemed to want to join in and so he stood and climbed over them – literally walked up the length of Toshiro's side – before the feline eventually settled right on top of Ichigo's head, nestling in his hair.

The doctor bit his lip, feeling a wet chuckle bubble in his throat as the overwhelming emotions of the night mixed with the humour of having his boyfriend's cat come and curl up in his hair.

Wait. 'Boyfriend's cat'?

Gods, he'd forgotten to ask Toshiro, his father and being called to work cutting their date short.

Now didn't seem like the best time to ask, but if Ichigo had learned anything tonight, it was that life was unbelievably short, and it could be ripped away from them at any time.

He could still hear the flatline to prove it.

"Toshiro?"

"Hmm?"

"Can we be boyfriends?"

It sounded immature, asking it like that.

Toshiro chuckled lightly, "Well I didn't spend all afternoon with your father so I could be your fuck buddy."

That made Ichigo laugh, loudly and inappropriately and until he had tears in his eyes for a good reason, and when he eventually stopped laughing he realised he couldn't hear the flatline anymore.

It was silent.

Well, except for Hyorinmaru's purring.

…

**Officially boyfriends YEWW**

**Just something to send us into the holidays with :)**

**I promise to update ASAP but I will be in Iceland for my first ever cold & white Christmas (if its snows) and then potentially somewhere else for New Years. I don't think I'll get to update for another few weeks but I will do my best :)**

**Please review, it's great motivation!**


	4. The Ex-Boyfriend

**Sorry it took so long to update! I hope everyone had a wonderful holidays and got a bit of a break from work or school. Welcome back!**

**Last week we had our very special IchiHitsu Week in our Bleach Discord server, I wanted to get this posted yesterday on the last day of it but alas I was a very busy geisha that day. Here it is though, and if you're interested in joining our wonderful Discord server for Bleach fans, shoot me a PM! It's all good vibes in there ~**

…

"Have a good day, Gorgeous."

Ichigo's voice was so soft, Toshiro had almost missed it as he hummed and rolled over to his boyfriend's now vacated, though still warm, side of the bed. Toshiro's eyes remained closed but he felt it as a gentle hand came to rest on his cheek and soft lips pressed against his temple lightly.

"Come back to bed," Toshiro murmured, reaching out for Ichigo blindly, movements lethargic.

"Don't tempt me," Ichigo chuckled, his thumb stroking Toshiro's cheek gently.

Toshiro caught Ichigo's hand with the reflexes and strength of a Police Captain and pulled him quickly back down to the mattress, causing the surgeon to yelp in surprise as he fell on top.

"Stay," Toshiro mumbled, arms wrapping possessively around is new boyfriend.

It had been a few weeks since Ichigo had asked him to be his boyfriend officially, and they had fallen into a very comfortable routine, despite their often clashing shift patterns. Nights together were spent at Toshiro's apartment, where Toshiro would cook and Ichigo would do the dishes. They would sit down to a movie or new episode of whatever show they were binge watching, snuggled together on the couch with a little black cat making himself at home between them. Mornings were spent snuggling as much as possible before work, the occasional morning sex if they had the time.

Apparently, they didn't have time for that this morning.

"I've got to go," Ichigo sighed, sounding physically pained to have to leave.

In all fairness, since he had lost that patient those few weeks ago, he hadn't enjoyed work as much. Toshiro understood that, and he knew that Ichigo would find it easier to in time, once he learned that the good – when he saved lives – would always outweigh the bad – when he lost patients. Toshiro had learned that many years ago now, but it wasn't an easy lesson.

Toshiro pouted but loosened his hold on the man, and Ichigo wiggled out.

The orange-haired man's farewell was not without the promise of dinner and another sweet kiss to Toshiro's temple, but it was a farewell nonetheless and soon the heavy apartment door was shutting with a firm click.

The Police Captain huffed and rolled over, opening his eyes as he came face to face with a black lump of fur with two bright green eyes. Hyorinmaru had made himself at home on Toshiro's pillow the moment Toshiro had rolled over to Ichigo's side. Toshiro couldn't really get mad at him for that either, since he himself had done that to Ichigo's side of the bed the second the man got up. Someone else's part of the bed was always warmer.

"At least I still have you," Toshiro sighed as the cat stared at him, unblinking as he took a tentative step forward. Toshiro rolled his eyes. "Come on then."

Understanding, the cat moved quickly to Toshiro, climbing up his arm before curling up happily in the crook between the Captain's neck and shoulder. Toshiro would have complained about the discomfort of having the cat kneading his shoulder, including the use of his nails, but fortunately his was wearing Ichigo's thick hoodie and barely felt it. The fur kept his neck warm and the purring reminded Toshiro of Ichigo's soft snores.

It put him back to sleep instantly.

Until, that was, a loud and persistent knocking woke Toshiro with a start, causing Hyorinmaru to scatter from the room quickly.

Toshiro frowned as he stumbled out of bed, wondering who the hell was knocking on his door so aggressively right now. It had been an hour or so since Ichigo had left so it couldn't have been him returning from work already. He knew it couldn't have been Rangiku because she would be singing his name obnoxiously by now.

The knocking did not let up and Toshiro hurried to reach the front door, now very alert and a little concerned. He reached the door and peeked through the door viewer to see who was knocking so madly and reeled back at the sight.

Sojiro Kusaka – his ex-boyfriend – was at the door.

What the hell?

"Toshiro," Kusaka slurred, intoxication obvious. "Lemme in. I know you're in there."

Exhaling deeply and mentally bracing himself for the situation he was about to get himself into, Toshiro opened the door, quickly moving out of the way as Kusaka literally fell through the threshold.

The stench of cigarettes and alcohol was the first thing Toshiro noticed, the messy hair and unwashed clothes were second.

"What are you doing here?" Toshiro asked the confused man picking himself up off the floor.

Kusaka ignored his question, glancing around the living room and kitchen area, deep frown set on his face.

"Something's changed," he muttered to himself. "Is that couch new?"

"No," Toshiro answered bluntly. The couch wasn't new, but the throw hanging off the back of it was. In fact, it had come from Ichigo's place.

Kusaka narrowed his eyes at the couch.

"What are you doing here?" Toshiro asked again, growing impatient – he hadn't seen his ex since he had walked out the door with the last of his things and a new boy toy hanging off his arm.

Kusaka's eyes widened and he turned to face Toshiro, stumbling forward a little as his arm reached out for the Captain, who leaned back out of his range.

"You're so beautiful," Kusaka's face crumpled, like he was about to cry.

Toshiro stared.

"What are you doing here?" he repeated, slow and unemotional.

"Well, I came to see you, Baby" Kusaka started to smile and Toshiro barely held back the flinch.

"What happened to your other 'Baby'?" the Captain asked stiffly, moving quickly around Kusaka and into the kitchen, filling up a glass of water so he had something to concentrate on.

"Cheated on me," Kusaka answered softly as Toshiro turned back around to face him.

"Wouldn't know what that's like," Toshiro sipped on his water, voice dripping heavy with sarcasm.

He knew exactly what that was like, since Kusaka had cheated on him the other 'Baby'. How Ironic that Baby the Second had now cheated on the cheater.

It was divine karma.

Kusaka threw him an apologetic glance.

"I want you back," the dark-haired man said seriously, sobering for a moment.

Toshiro's heart stopped dead in his chest, his voice lost for a moment as all his thoughts came to a grinding halt.

"I beg your pardon?" Toshiro said at last, sounding as weak as he felt.

"I want you back, Toshiro," Kusaka repeated, walking around the kitchen island and closing in on Toshiro. "I love y-"

"No," Toshiro cut in quickly. "We're not doing this, we're not getting back together, and I want you to leave."

Kusaka only stepped closer, unfazed by the instant rejection.

"We were so great together," Kusaka continued as he got closer to Toshiro and the smell of beer and tobacco followed. "I know you miss me."

Toshiro looked away. Of course he had missed him, they had dated for years, and the breakup had been so suddenly and unexpected. Toshiro had been hurt and he had missed Kusaka, for months, but that now was months ago.

He had moved on.

"I'm seeing someone," Toshiro spoke up as Kusaka approached, hoping that was a good enough excuse for Kusaka to back off.

Toshiro was seeing Ichigo and that was that, there was no room for Kusaka. Even if Toshiro hadn't been dating someone new, he knew he wouldn't being saying yes to Kusaka right now. He had moved on.

"So?" Kusaka laughed. "Dump him. Cheat on him, who cares? I cheated and then was cheated on, it's life, he'll get over it."

Anger flared through Toshiro's veins.

"You are horrible," he ducked around his ex and moved towards the front door, hoping to lure Kusaka there instead of further into the house.

Toshiro knew that pain of being cheated on and would never to that to anyone, especially his sweet Ichigo.

"We're over, Kusaka," he told the man who was once again approaching. "I'm with Ichigo now, and I really like him."

Kusaka hummed disbelievingly.

"And this _'Ichigo'_ makes you as happy as I did?" Kusaka asked tauntingly, looming closer.

"Happier," Toshiro replied, meeting the challenge.

He opened the front door again, standing aside and gesturing for Kusaka to get out.

Kusaka didn't move.

"Can he kiss you like I could?" the long-haired man asked pointedly.

Toshiro had been about to answer with 'better' but he only managed the first syllable when once familiar lips came crushing down on his, swallowing him whole.

Alcohol and stale smoke filled Toshiro's nostrils, and a tight hand on his jaw forced his mouth open enough that a slimy appendage slipped in between his lips, the taste even worse than the smell. Panicking and on instinct, Toshiro slammed the heels of his hands into Kusaka's chest and pushed harshly, disconnecting their lips and sending the man stumbling back. Kusaka lost his balance, probably more due to the alcohol than the shove (though it most certainly hadn't helped), and he fell back on his ass, blinking up at Toshiro stupidly.

A moment of shocked silence passed over the two men, before Kusaka was suddenly scrambling to his feet, anger burning in his eyes. Toshiro met that anger and thanks to years of Police training, he grabbed Kusaka by his arm, twisted it behind his back and shoved him out the door in a few swift motions. Slamming the door harshly, Toshiro threw the lock closed and the security chain for good measure.

On the outside, Kusaka was banging on the door, screaming obscenities.

On the inside, Toshiro was sliding down the back of the door to the floor, his breathing ragged and his lips tingling painfully.

Guilt filled Toshiro's soul, and the giant teddy bear, dubbed 'Big Surgery Bear', that Ichigo had won him on their first date stared right through him from the opposite side of the living room.

How was Ichigo going to take this?

...

"Captain?" Rangiku's voice met him the second Toshiro entered the Police Station. "I didn't think you were due in for another hour yet."

"I wasn't," Toshiro answered tonelessly as he made a beeline for his office.

He wasn't supposed to start until a little later today, and work through until the evening, but after Kusaka turning up at his place like that, Toshiro had hurriedly got out of there as soon as possible. Not that he thought the man would come back so soon, he just didn't want to be around if he did.

The Police Station was far safer. If Kusaka turned up here drunk and carrying on like he had at the apartment, he wouldn't make it two steps in the door without getting put in a holding cell. No doubt Rangiku would personally oversee it.

Collapsing in his desk chair, Toshiro took a quick breath. The door was closed and he hadn't turned the light on yet. It was dark, cool and quiet. A moment passed where Toshiro could actually calm himself down. It lasted all of two seconds, before Rangiku barged into his office without knocking.

"You alright?" She asked, peeking her head into the dark office. Toshiro could just make out her frown, the light from the detective officers behind her casting a shadow over her face.

With just his hand, he gestured her in.

Knowing, Rangiku slipped in quietly and shut the door behind her. She flicked on the lights, and Toshiro grimaced at the sudden brightness, before she came and sat herself down in the chair opposite his desk.

She waited patiently for Toshiro to talk.

"Sojiro came to my apartment," he said eventually.

In his hand, he fiddled aimlessly with his phone. He felt like he needed to tell Ichigo, but so far hadn't been able to physically do it. He felt guilty and ashamed, even though it hadn't been his choice to kiss Kusaka. He didn't want to bring this old drama into his new relationship.

"He what?" Rangiku sneered, though her voice sounded relatively calm by her standards.

"He was drunk," Toshiro shrugged, staring down at his mobile in his hand as he began to explain the whole story to his friend. "He's heartbroken, now he thinks he wants me back. He kissed me."

"What the hell, Tosh?!" Rangiku's mood had flared now. Toshiro shook his head quickly.

"I pushed him off and kicked him out," he explained.

"Good," Rangiku huffed. "Was Ichigo there?"

"No," Toshiro sighed, and ran his hand through his hair. "I don't know if I should tell him or not. I don't want to worry him. He will be upset about the kiss; I don't want to start this relationship out with this hanging over it."

Rangiku pursed her lips, a tell-tale sign that she disagreed with him.

"You don't want to start the relationship out with secrets either," she pointed out.

That was also true. He was scared though, he didn't want Ichigo to get upset about what had happened. Toshiro hadn't kissed Kusaka, hadn't even entertained the idea, and yet he still felt guilty about it. If he was honest, he was scared that Ichigo might be angry at him about it, like he had been unfaithful.

"Look," Rangiku sighed. "Just tell him tonight. Be calm, explain exactly what happened. Ichigo will understand, and if Kusaka comes back, he'll step in."

"That's the last thing I want," Toshiro muttered.

Kusaka would undoubtedly say some horrific things to Ichigo, either about Ichigo himself or about Toshiro and the Police Captain didn't want his lovely boyfriend to be exposed to that. He also didn't want him to know what trash he had dated in the past, because that would reflect more poorly on him than Kusaka.

"Toshiro," Rangiku warned.

"I'll think about it," the captain sighed before waving her off with his hand.

His lieutenant was right, she usually was. Toshiro knew that but it didn't ease the tight feeling in his chest any.

Thankfully Rangiku took her cue to leave and shut the office door behind her as she left. Toshiro leaned back in his chair, his posture sinking from professional captain to a deflated balloon man.

_He hated this._

The rest of the day stretched on after that, but Toshiro did his best to focus on his work.

They were still tracking down the arms dealer, weeks after the call had come through from Police Chief Kyoraku. Toshiro and his detective squad were getting closer though; they suspected the arms were being smuggled in via the cargo ships berthing at the Karakura Town Docks. The only problem was that the docks were huge and weeks' worth of surveillance had to be carried out in order to catch the dealers. They couldn't very well storm down there and alert the suspects to their presence and scare them away before they could catch them, especially without any hard evidence.

No they had to be sure first, which was hard with Kyoraku and the hierarchy breathing down his neck every minute of the day.

Thankfully the station was quieter today, to give Toshiro some peace to deal with the arms dealing case and not focus on the whole Kusaka ordeal. He had sent Ikkaku and Yumichika out on surveillance shift at the docks, and Rangiku out with some of the uniformed officers to deal with a separate case (a break and enter at an alcohol store - the case had practically screamed her name and Toshiro knew the station would be fair quieter with her gone). Momo was still around, but thankfully she too was quiet with the rest of the squad out and her constant need to be present on all platforms of social media.

It wasn't until late in the day that Toshiro thought of Kusaka again, and the burning sensation of guilt on his lips and tremor in his hands as he thought of the man coming back. He hoped he wouldn't. Toshiro had made it clear he was seeing someone and wasn't interested, but if he knew Kusaka at all – and he did – then he knew Kusaka was a persistent man.

Toshiro was thankfully saved from thinking about it much longer when a low knock on his office door redirected his attention.

Already knowing his team's knocks by ear, Toshiro murmured for Yumichika to enter.

The flamboyant detective was followed in closely by his partner, the ever brash Ikkaku, but both of them moved with far less character than normal. That meant it was serious business.

Toshiro didn't need to ask, they just answered.

"We've picked up some familiar faces entering Warehouse D off Dock Twenty-Seven," Yumichika informed Toshiro. He was holding his laptop and turned it to face Toshiro, showing him footage of two dangerous-looking men entering an old warehouse.

Toshiro recognised both of them.

Souse Aizen, renowned crime boss of the Hueco Mundo gang and a long time pain in his ass.

The other was Gin Ichimaru, Aizen's right hand man. He was also Rangiku's ex, which made things a little more difficult. Obviously a relationship between a Police Lieutenant and a known mobster was doomed to have an ugly end. Rangiku thought she could change him and then arrested him when she found out she couldn't. That was after she shot him in the calf. It was long story and entirely in line with official police protocol, but it had been a dark time in her life. Both of their lives actually, since whatever hurt Rangiku, hurt Toshiro.

"What are those two doing here?" Toshiro frowned.

The Hueco Mundo gang operated out of Junrinan, always had, hence why Toshiro and Rangiku had such a history with them. They hadn't heard anything from them since Toshiro and Rangiku had moved to Karakura, other than the unsurprising news that Gin's arrest hadn't stuck - he, like all of Aizen's gang, seemed to get out on the dumbest of technicalities.

Ikkaku shrugged, "The bigger the port, the more weapons they can bring in."

"The bigger the city, the more weapons they can sell," Yumichika added.

Basic maths then.

Toshiro sighed; he was not going to love telling Rangiku her ex was back in town and now their prime suspect in the biggest case to cross their desks.

"We think if we go back with a parabolic microphone, we might be able to listen inside," Yumichika told Toshiro.

"Maybe find out when their next shipment is due," Ikkaku added.

"And catch them in act," Toshiro concluded.

It would give them their best chance of locking those two away for good, or at least a good decade or so, provided they couldn't bribe or threaten their way out on another 'technicality issue'.

"Okay," Toshiro agreed, "but tomorrow. You've both pulled doubles, and I won't have my best detectives falling asleep on the job."

Both men looked ready to protest but Toshiro held an authoritative hand up to silence them.

"Go home," he ordered. "Get some sleep, come back in the morning. I'll send an overnight surveillance team. You're dismissed."

Ikkaku looked ready to argue still but Yumichika pulled him up and out of the office, especially when they all heard Rangiku's familiar voice returning to the station. She sounded happy, indicating she had probably made an arrest at the B&E.

No one wanted to be around when Toshiro gave her that new update on the arms dealing case.

"Captain," Rangiku sung from outside his officer, the happy click of boots on the hard floor approaching his office.

Unlike Yumichika's gentle knock, Rangiku's signature knock was that she didn't knock at all.

Waltzing into his office, Toshiro grimaced at her big grin.

"Triple arrest," she announced, voice as upbeat as her steps. She slipped in the chair opposite his desk, a chuckle on her lips. "These idiots don't learn – never return to the crime scene."

Toshiro gave her a weak smile and an equally as feeble "congratulations."

Her smile dropped a little and her eyes softened, concerning flashing in those blue irises.

"Are you still think about your asshole ex-boyfriend?" she asked him, voice gentle.

Toshiro sighed.

"No," he answered carefully. "I'm thinking about _your _asshole ex-boyfriend."

There was confusion in her eyes and yet a hint of realisation – she knew he was talking about Gin, she just didn't know why.

Turning Yumichika's laptop around, which had kindly be left for him, Toshiro brought up the footage of Gin and Aizen loitering around the docks, a rather suspicious case dragged behind them.

Rangiku's eyes narrowed on Gin and her jaw clenched.

"That bastard," she hissed. "I'm going to shoot him. Again."

"No, you're going to arrest him," Toshiro corrected quickly.

They didn't use brutality. They didn't shoot if there was any other way around it. Unfortunately, where people like Aizen's gang were concerned, it was actually highly likely shots would be fired – probably at the police more than by the police.

Rangiku's expression was deadly.

"Maybe you should sit this one out," Toshiro murmured, leaning back in his chair. "You're too close to this."

"You will not take me off this case, Toshiro," she responded firmly, a sharp eyebrow raised in his direction.

She rarely called him by his first name, even when they hung out as friends away from work. Only when she was really serious and trying to get a message through to him – such as earlier, when they were discussing his horrible ex-boyfriend.

Toshiro exhaled slowly.

"Fine, but you will be professional," he warned. "This is too dangerous a case to get emotional."

"I have no emotions when it comes to Gin," Rangiku said sternly.

"I would class anger as an emotion," Toshiro pointed out.

"Okay so I have_ one_ emotion when it comes to Gin," Rangiku corrected, conceding reluctantly, "but it won't interfere with this case. I swear."

Sighing again, Toshiro relented with a nod. He knew her well enough to believe that she could keep her emotions in check on the job and would treat Gin as the vile man he was because of his criminal history, not romantic past. That being said, he could and would pull her off the job if he felt she couldn't do that.

"Thank you, Sir," Rangiku murmured. It wasn't a thank you for keeping her on the case, it was a thank you for trusting her.

"Of course," Toshiro smiled softly. It was his first smile of the day since he had woken up – the first time that was, when Ichigo was still there and his own vile ex-boyfriend wasn't banging on the door.

Just then, another knock rapped on the back of his office door. Upbeat and slightly rhythmic – Momo.

Toshiro called for her to come in and the dark bun popped her head around the door. She was swooning and giggly, her face bright with joy. Finally, some good news – or so it would seem.

"Captain, you have a visitor," she told him excitedly.

Toshiro's body froze, his mind instantly going to Kusaka.

"I don't have any appointments today," Toshiro said quickly.

"No, but you will really want to see him," Momo grinned.

Toshiro held the sigh and groan, and stood up from behind his desk. He handed Yumichika's laptop to Rangiku and told her to give back to its' owner. Bracing himself for a confrontation with his ex in front of his squad, Toshiro marched out of the office.

But it wasn't Kusaka at all.

It was Ichigo. _His_ Ichigo – tall and handsome, with a gorgeous, slightly goofy smile – standing in the middle of his police station and holding a small bouquet of sunflowers (Toshiro's favourite).

Toshiro stopped dead in his tracks, surprise and overwhelming happiness filling his body, not to mention utter relief that it wasn't Kusaka. Toshiro had been so worried about the man coming back, he had forgotten all about Ichigo. Actually, it wasn't relief he was feeling. It was guilt again.

"Hey Handsome," Ichigo grinned at Toshiro's shocked expression.

"Handsome," Yumichika - who was standing by his desk, jacket half on and bag on his desk, ready to leave but had obviously stopped to witness this romantic gesture – cooed.

Toshiro then noticed the entire squad had stopped to watch. Momo beamed up from her desk outside of Toshiro's office, Rangiku smirked from the doorway of his office, Ikkaku eyeing it all from where he stood by the elevator waiting for Yumichika, uniformed officers scattered about the station had turned to look and even the people in the holding cells had gone quiet with everyone else.

Toshiro rolled his eyes.

"Get back to work," he ordered.

He gestured a chuckling Ichigo to follow him back into his office, and shooed off Rangiku. Closing the door behind him, Toshiro turned back to Ichigo with a sigh.

"Sorry about them," he murmured.

Ichigo shook his head, unconcerned, and gently laid the bouquet of sunflowers down on the desk.

"They love you," he murmured, stepping closer to Toshiro and bridging the gap between them. His familiar scent filled Toshiro's senses and instantly, his muscles that had been tight began to loosen.

Toshiro closed the last bit of the gap, stepping into Ichigo's opening arms and pressing himself against that warm chest. He sighed again, this time in content - this was where he wanted to be, nowhere else, with no one else.

"Everything alright?" Ichigo asked softly, a soothing hand rubbing circles on Toshiro's back.

"Just a long day," Toshiro mumbled, eyes fluttering closed.

They stood like that for a while, Toshiro simply enjoying being held for a moment. He was trying not to think about the conversation they were going to have tonight, when Toshiro filled Ichigo in on the drama of that morning.

"I wasn't expecting you until dinnertime," Toshiro murmured eventually. "Not that I don't love the surprise."

Ichigo laughed, "Toshiro, it is dinnertime."

Frowning, Toshiro opened his eyes and brought his arm up to check his watch, eyes bulging when he realised it was now coming up on eight at night.

"I didn't notice the time," Toshiro gasped pulling back enough to look up at his boyfriend. "You must be starving."

"Starving for you," Ichigo grinned, leaning down for a kiss.

Toshiro rolled his eyes but obliged, grateful for the closed blinds currently over office window that looked out into the station. Warmth spread through him and Toshiro melt against those soft and delicious lips. This was the only kiss Toshiro wanted to know, but Kusaka flashed in his mind and he pulled back from Ichigo swiftly.

"Are those for me?" Toshiro asked quickly, gesturing to the flowers on his desk.

"Of course," Ichigo grinned, his mildly confused face at Toshiro's sudden pulling back turned to a smile and he picked up the sunflowers, handing them to the Captain.

Toshiro smiled, taking the flowers and smelling them briefly. Sunflowers reminded him of warm summer afternoons in Junrinan, Granny knitting on the porch and watching a far younger Toshiro playing out in the field where the sunflowers stood taller than him.

"I love them, thank you," Toshiro murmured, stretching back up to give Ichigo a quick peck. "Let me put these in some water and then we'll go."

Ichigo nodded and lowered himself into the closest chair while Toshiro ran off to find a vase. It was easy enough, Rangiku had a number of them stored away in one of the janitorial cupboards from all the flowers she had received from past romantic interests. Quickly filling the vase with water and arranging the sunflowers in the vase nicely, Toshiro returned to his office, popping them on the corner of desk.

"Now I have something to brighten my office tomorrow," Toshiro smiled to Ichigo.

He would think of Ichigo when he looked at the flowers tomorrow. About how kind, warm and gentle the surgeon was, about how happy he made Toshiro and about how lucky Toshiro was to have him. These were thoughts that filled Toshiro with happiness. They would save him if his mind ever slipped back to the negative feelings Kusaka had left him with.

Looking at the flowers, Toshiro hummed to himself – Ichigo had his heart, and Kusaka was nothing but dark speckle on his record.

Warm arms wrapped around the Police Captain's middle, and lips were pressed softly to his neck.

"Come on, Gorgeous," Ichigo whispered. "Let's get you home so I can spoil you so more."

"More than you have with sunflowers?" Toshiro asked with a chuckle.

"I don't think I could ever spoil you enough," Ichigo told him quietly, his voice soft but his eyes sincere. "You deserve the world."

Toshiro smiled sadly – Ichigo deserved the world, Toshiro deserved nothing.

Untangling himself from Ichigo's arms, Toshiro grabbed his Captain's jacket and hat, slipping them both on quickly before taking Ichigo's hand and leading him out of the office. The station was quiet now – Yumichika and Ikkaku had gone, Momo was packing up for the day and Rangiku was silent as she worked on her arrest reports. It wasn't without her sending a pointed look at him from above her monitor, to which Toshiro nodded.

He was going to tell Ichigo what had happened with Kusaka. It was going to be painful but he had to rip it off like a Band-Aid. Rangiku was right, he didn't want to start this relationship with secrets, and Ichigo was caring and understanding, so maybe he wouldn't be as furious with Toshiro as the Police Captain expected.

They got in the car and drove towards Toshiro's place, Ichigo telling Toshiro all about his day. He was happier today, had saved a gentle grandfather from a stroke, and helped another lady with her hernia problem. Toshiro still didn't know what he had done in this world to deserve the beautiful gem that was his Ichigo.

Ichigo asked Toshiro about his day but the captain didn't say much on it. He wanted to wait until later tonight to discuss the Kusaka incident – when they were both fed and had unwound from the day – and as far as work went, he couldn't discuss open cases, even with his partner.

The Police Captain could tell Ichigo was feeling uneasy with Toshiro's lack of talking about his day, and likely his mood and the way he had been acting since Ichigo had come to pick him up weren't helping. The surgeon could tell something was up and that made Toshiro feel worse.

Soon they would be home, and soon it would be out in the open – the Band-Aid ripped off. Maybe then the guilt would leave Toshiro. Maybe it wouldn't.

They arrived at the apartment building and headed up the elevator.

"Are you alright, Toshiro?" Ichigo asked as the lift hummed. "You seem distracted."

"I just want to be home with you," Toshiro sighed as the elevator dinged, doors opening.

"Me too," Ichigo exhaled, seeming to relax a little.

They were so close now.

However, fate had other plans for them it seemed.

There, at Toshiro's front door, sat Sojiro Kusaka. Neatly dressed, long hair tied back, sober and carrying flowers. Roses, at least three dozen, maybe more.

Toshiro stopped dead in his tracks, Ichigo coming to a confused halt too.

_No, no, no._

Kusaka spotted them and straightened, walking over. The sneer he sent Ichigo did not go unnoticed and Toshiro grimaced internally, knowing that it was too late to stop was likely to be a highly awkward situation. Toshiro tightened his hold on Ichigo's hand, hoping he would understand that he was still Toshiro's main priority.

"I'm so sorry, Baby," Kusaka said softly, his eyes falling on Toshiro. "I should not have come over like that this morning."

For what it was worth, he did look remorseful.

Beside him, Toshiro felt Ichigo shift, his chocolate eyes turning to him, no doubt full of questions.

Suddenly the Police Captain's throat felt incredibly tight, and only seemed to close further as Kusaka held out the roses for him.

The dark haired man seemed to sense Toshiro's hesitation.

"I meant what I said, Baby," Kusaka murmured, completely ignoring Ichigo. "I love you. I want you back."

Beside him, Toshiro could feel the confusion rolling off Ichigo, not to mention the anger that was creeping in and hints of hurt.

"Excuse me?" Ichigo then chimed in and Toshiro exhaled harshly.

"This doesn't concern you, Rebound," Kusaka muttered, shooting the surgeon a glare.

"Enough, Sojiro," Toshiro cut in quickly. "This is inappropriate. I told you this morning that I am with Ichigo now."

"This morning when he came over?" Ichigo cut back in, his tone not the happy and calming one Toshiro had come to know.

"This morning when we kissed, actually," Kusaka corrected with a smirk.

Toshiro's heart stopped and he thought maybe Ichigo's had too. Turning to his boyfriend quickly, ready to explain, he saw shock on that beautiful face, and horror.

"You kissed him?" Ichigo asked, voice thick with hurt.

"No," Toshiro shook his head.

"Yes," Kusaka answered just as quickly.

"Well which is it?" Ichigo asked, anger sweeping into his tone – a warning not to lie to him.

Toshiro took a breath.

"He kissed me," he clarified. "I didn't kiss him back-"

Ichigo was instantly deflating, reacting before Toshiro had even finished his sentence. Shock, pain, betrayal – all the emotions Toshiro hadn't wanted his boyfriend to feel from this were flashing in the orange-haired man's eyes.

"You wanted to kiss me," Kusaka added, just to be an ass. "You liked it."

Toshiro turned around and shoved him.

"Leave," the Captain hissed, snarling and shooting daggers at the man with his eyes.

Kusaka straightened, though he definitely looked disgruntled.

"Fine," he said, straightening his shirt. "I'll go. Call me."

The dark-haired man handed Toshiro the roses, and Toshiro didn't realise it but he had taken the roses from his hands, mostly out of instinct from when people normally handed him things. Non-relationship ruining things, that was.

Kusaka stalked past them, down the hall and around the corner to the elevator. Toshiro turned back to Ichigo, guilt all over his face and a bouquet of roses in his hands which Ichigo eyed through heartbroken irises.

"Let's go inside," Toshiro said, trying to sound much calmer than he felt. "I can explain everything."

He went to take Ichigo's hand but the surgeon pulled back, jerking away sharply. Toshiro flinched at the reaction he didn't think he would ever get from Ichigo.

Silence passed over them. Ichigo looked like he was going to cry, his face was so red, his eyes glassy. Toshiro wanted to reach for him but after what had just happened, he didn't think he couldn't.

"I'm going home," Ichigo breathed eventually, taking a step back.

"Ichigo, please don't go," Toshiro called, surprised he could hear his own voice over the thudding of his heart.

This was not how things were supposed to go.

"You kissed him!"

"I didn't-"

"You took his roses."

That one Toshiro couldn't argue with, so he just dropped them on the floor.

"He calls you 'Baby' and tells you he loves you," Ichigo continued, tone accusing. "He says you like it."

"I-I don't, I-"

Toshiro was choking on his words. It didn't matter what Kusaka said to him, he didn't feel the same way! He wanted to convey that to Ichigo but his voice wasn't working.

"I'm going," Ichigo said decisively, turning sharply on his heel.

"Please don-"

"I'll talk to you later," Ichigo snapped, turning back to Toshiro just to glare for a moment before stalking off again.

Toshiro watched as the tall surgeon disappeared around the same corner Kusaka had, feeling nothing but emptiness in his stomach and pain in his heart. Discarded roses lay at his feet and a shuddering breath finally left his lips.

Toshiro was alone.


	5. The Lieutenant

5\. The Lieutenant

Minutes ticked by painfully slowly. Toshiro watched the illuminated numbers on his bedside clock from where he laid on his bed, wide awake despite the time. The room was dark but the numbers on the clock were bright – haunting and headache-inducing.

He couldn't sleep. He couldn't even move.

He just kept replaying that same scene over and over again – Kusaka at his door, Ichigo's heartbroken reaction.

"_You kissed him?" Ichigo had asked, voice so utterly hurt._

"_No." Toshiro had answered._

"_Yes." Kusaka had dropped at the same time._

"_Well which is it?"_

Toshiro clenched his eyes shut, feeling tears well up again at the sound of Ichigo's broken voice, his eyes going red and glassy.

How could he have done that to his sweet, caring Ichigo? He should have told him when it happened, certainly by the time his boyfriend had come by the Police Station with a bouquet of sunflowers.

Were he and Ichigo done now? Was that it? Was Ichigo going to leave him for this? Had he already?

"_I'm going," Ichigo had said, backing away. "I'll talk to you later."_

Toshiro flinched against his pillow, remembering the anger in Ichigo's tone.

The Captain hadn't eaten dinner. He couldn't even bring himself to open the fridge to see what ingredients he had, he couldn't even open his food delivery apps to get dinner the laziest way possible. He'd managed a shower and to feed his cat, but that was it. He had fallen on the bed and not moved since.

Not even a wink of sleep had been managed.

He felt so awful. Guilt, anger and sadness swirled around in him, and he wanted so badly to blame Kusaka but in reality, he had no one to blame but himself. He should have told Ichigo straight up, even about the kiss that he definitely didn't instigate, continue or enjoy. It should have come from him, not Kusaka.

Opening his eyes back up, Toshiro saw that the numbers on the clock had not changed again. He was stuck in time, all the clocks in the world were frozen and he was stranded there.

He reached for his phone, unlocking it.

No new messages; not from Ichigo, not even from Kusaka.

Toshiro supposed no news was good news in the case of the latter.

With Ichigo, he wasn't so sure.

The time continued to stretch on as Toshiro dwelled and dwelled, curling in on himself as he lay feeling sick and pathetic.

_Oh Karakura Town,_ if only you could see your brave and strong Police Captain now.

Eventually, it hit four it in the morning and it was about then that Toshiro simply couldn't bare lying there any longer. He got up, made it as far as the living room couch, and plopped himself there. He pulled Ichigo's throw over his body, pulling it up to his nose so he could smell the surgeon's soothing scent again.

He couldn't let his relationship end here. It was too new, it was too_ good._

Toshiro was usually a planner, a thinker driven by logic, someone who thought his plans through, but tonight he couldn't. He couldn't think, everything hurt. He just wanted to speak to Ichigo – hear his voice, see his face and feel his skin. He was desperate.

Maybe that's what drove him to pick up his phone again, calling Ichigo before he could stop himself.

The phone went straight to voicemail without ringing.

"_Hey, it's Ichigo. Leave a message."_

Toshiro took a breath, hearing the familiar albeit recorded voice. It was followed by a harsh beep and the Captain couldn't help but vomit out words.

"Hey, it's me," Toshiro cringed at the shakiness of his own voice. "I'm so sorry Ichigo. I promise you –Kusaka means nothing to me, I hadn't heard from him since we broke up months ago until he came to my place yesterday. He was drunk and he kissed me, but I didn't kiss him back and I pushed him off. I hated it and I am so sorry I didn't tell you before we got to the apartment. I wanted to tell you once we were home but…"

They hadn't made it in the door.

"That's not an excuse," he continued, shaking his head even though Ichigo would never see it. He took another big breath. "Please Ichigo, let me explain it all in person. I really like you, and I don't want our relationship to end. Please call me back, I just… I want to hear your voice."

Taking the phone away from his ear, Toshiro sighed and hung up.

It was a pathetic message, he knew, but he had to try something. If he could talk to Ichigo in person, he could at least explain the situation and his thoughts leading up to it, and apologise profusely. If Ichigo wanted to leave him then, well that would be awful, but at least Toshiro would know he had told him the whole truth.

It wouldn't mean he would give up the fight though. He wouldn't just give up on Ichigo.

Even though it was ridiculous o'clock in the morning, every passing minute that Ichigo did not call back was painful.

It was unlikely he hadn't even received the message, given the time and that his phone had clearly been off or on 'do not disturb' settings. Still, every minute that passed felt like another stab to Toshiro's gut.

Eventually, around half past five in the morning, Toshiro decided to be productive.

He got off the couch, he even got dressed into his Captain's uniform. He fed the cat again, who remained oblivious to the drama in his human's life. Toshiro even managed to make himself a coffee in a travel cup.

By the time he got to work, it was after six, and the station was the quietest he'd seen it, like the calm before the storm. Only the skeleton Night Squad was on, and it looked like even they'd had a slow night. Good to know that while stolen weapons were being dealt out by Aizen and his gang, the ramifications hadn't yet hit Karakura Town.

Toshiro waved as he slunk into his office, dropping his bag and powering up his computer. He put his phone on the desk where he could see it if Ichigo decided to respond to him, but his goal was to focus on his work. Productivity was the only thing that was going to speed up time, to when Ichigo would have to check his phone.

So focus he did.

He responded to all his emails, clearing out his inbox. He approved Momo's holiday leave form for next month and got it to HR Management. He read through Rangiku's arrest reports from the night before and got it all signed off.

He focused on the arms dealing case, quickly pushing through arrest warrants for Aizen and Gin, and search warrants for the warehouse they had been seen at. They were there ready to use if they needed them, but Toshiro was keen to push more surveillance first, hoping to catch them receiving a new shipment or dealing out. He also managed to get a hold of blueprints for the whole docks area, and of the warehouse Gin and Aizen were currently hiding out in.

He spoke to Kyoraku on the phone for over an hour – the Police Chief was not happy to be woken up 'in the middle of the night' (read: seven o'clock), but as soon as Toshiro dropped the Hueco Mundo gang names, he was suddenly very attentive. It was no surprise then that just after the phone call had ended, Kyoraku's Personal Assistant, Nanao Ise, was emailing through permission grants to use just about every resource the entire Police Department had at its' disposal.

The day shift started trickling in around eight, and Toshiro sent some of his parole officers out to follow up with their parolees – Toshiro wanted to investigate who might be looking to by Aizen's weapons, and he figured it was best to start with the known criminals in the area. He also sent some uniformed officers out to check with their previous informants to see if they had any news on the matter. Given that said stolen weapons were in fact_ police_ weapons, the Department needed to reclaim all of the weapons, including every last bullet, to save themselves from what would undoubtedly be a number of severe consequences.

Yumichika and Ikkaku arrived soon after, extremely keen to get back out to the docks to continue their surveillance now they would have access to the parabolic microphone. They were particularly excited when Toshiro told them they could take whatever surveillance gear they wanted, since Police Chief Kyoraku had just cleared them to use whatever resources they needed. Delighted, they ran off.

Toshiro returned to his office, almost nine in the morning, well past any time that even an exhausted Ichigo would have slept to, and saw still no reply or call from the man.

Toshiro sighed and sat back down in his chair. He didn't know if Ichigo had listened to his message yet, but either way, he didn't think his hurt and fuming boyfriend would appreciate a second emotional voicemail.

Eventually Rangiku turned up to work – Toshiro was both dreading her arrival and desperate for it. On one hand, he didn't want to tell her what had happened last night, not wanting to relive it and be on the receiving end of the 'told you so' lecture. On the other hand, he needed to get it out and he needed the advice of his best friend.

Of course, she came straight to his office, without even dropping her bag at her desk.

"How did it go last night?" she asked instead of saying 'hello', a hopeful smile on her lips.

His face must have said it all, because that smile dropped before he had even opened his mouth.

He did his best to explain it all with a steady voice, but each word said out loud caused him almost physical pain. Rangiku listened patiently, her face not giving away anything at the moment.

"Look," she sighed when he was done. "You made a mistake not telling him sooner, but your intention was to tell him at home and in person which would have been more appropriate than telling him here."

"I know," Toshiro agreed, "but it also looks like I am trying to cover my tracks. Kusaka didn't help."

Rangiku shot him a look, but thankfully held her tongue.

"Ichigo was probably just shocked and reacted badly," she tried to assure him. "Maybe he has been cheated on before, we don't know. Maybe he likes you so much that he's terrified of losing you to someone else. We can't make any assumptions."

Toshiro would argue they could assume a number of things, such as Ichigo being really hurt by this, and Ichigo being mad at Toshiro because of it.

"You've done what you can for now," Rangiku pointed out, gesturing vaguely to Toshiro's phone on the desk. "You've got to be patient and let him come to you when he is ready to hear what you have to say."

Toshiro glanced up at her, "What if he doesn't come to me?"

Rangiku regarded him for a moment. "He will."

"How do you know?"

"Because I have seen the way he looks at you," Rangiku smiled softly at him. "He adores you."

The captain sighed deeply – he sure hoped so.

The morning rushed by from there. Kyoraku was calling every few minutes for an update, which meant Toshiro was calling Ikkaku and Yumichika in the off minutes, hoping to get some news for the Chief.

Finally, around eleven, the news they had all been waiting for arrived.

"More of the Hueco Mundo gang have rolled in," Ikkaku's voice crackled on the loudspeaker.

Toshiro, Rangiku, the Sergeant for the uniformed officers and a select few others in on the case details stood in the Captain's office – door locked, blinds drawn. They stood around his desk, and in the middle sat the landline phone which was currently conducting a conference call between the surveillance team (Ikkaku and Yumichika) and various members of the Police Department Hierarchy (Kyoraku, Ukitake and Toshiro's fellow captains from the affected districts).

"Who's there?" Toshiro asked, exchanging a glance with Rangiku.

"Oh the favourites," Ikkaku drawled. "Grimmjow, Nel, Ulquirror, Yami – a couple of others I don't recognise. Probably fresh blood."

"The last thing we need is that gang growing their numbers," Ukitake's more gentle voice murmured from the speaker.

"They're expecting a shipment this afternoon," Yumichika's voice chimed in. "Though they haven't mentioned the name of the vessel bringing it in or time it's due to arrive."

"If all the higher members of the gang have arrived, that make sense if they have a shipment arriving soon," Captain Yamamoto from the Sokyoku Hill district murmured in his gruff old voice.

Sokyoku Hill was the district the weapons had been stolen from and the elderly captain's position was now under threat because of it. Toshiro had never really liked Captain Yamamoto – he was very old fashioned in his views and stuck in his ways – but he did feel for him now.

"We can get a list of the ships due to port today and see if we can find any connection to the gang there," Toshiro said, cogs in his brain turning. "The port curfew is at six, so it would have to be before then."

"It would draw too much attention outside of hours and the port is very strict on which ships come in and what times," Rangiku agreed. "They must have it smuggled in with regular cargo."

Toshiro nodded at her words, agreeing that Aizen's best bet was to disguise the weapons and not call any unnecessary attention to their highly illegal shipment.

"Alright well it's eleven now, so we've got a seven hour window at best," Kyoraku breathed. "Get the incoming vessel schedule and see what you can find but I think the most useful information we'll get will come from the surveillance team."

"We're listening intently," Ikkaku voice returned and Toshiro could hear the slight smirk on his face.

"Good," Kyoraku said. "Captain Hitsugaya, have your team ready to move at any moment."

"Will do, Sir," Toshiro answered.

"Don't take any chances," Ukitake's slightly concerned voice added quickly. "Be safe out there."

"We'll do our best," Toshiro assured him.

"Bring our weapons home," Kyoraku said last, before his line cut out, the Chief hanging up.

"But bring yourselves home too," Ukitake got the final say before he too dropped out.

Captain Yamamoto hung up too, but without a goodbye.

Toshiro breathed, now speaking to his team alone.

"You heard them," Toshiro murmured before he started giving out the orders.

Ikkaku and Yumichika were to remain in place, listening out for any information that could be of us, tracking and recording the gang as they lurked in their warehouse.

Rangiku was to brief the tactical team and ensure that when the green light was given, they could roll out and be at the docks in record time, ready to storm the warehouse. She was also to get Momo to contact the docks' management and retrieve that schedule of incoming shipments.

The Sergeant was stay behind and look after the station, keep things churning here because unfortunately, the rest of their work wasn't going to stop because Aizen was plotting again.

"You're coming on into the field?" Rangiku asked him, surprise on her features.

It was true that captains rarely did go out into the field, for a combination of reasons. The main reason for Toshiro was that he rarely got out of his office, let alone into the field, due to large volume of paperwork to do. Other captains – and certainly those ranked higher like Kyoraku and Ukitake – didn't go out into the field because it was too dangerous.

If he was being completely honest, Toshiro missed the action and adrenaline of being out there, but he had worked hard to be where he was, and it was from a Captain's position that he could have the most impact. He could make changes in the Police Department from there because that's where he had more power.

"This is far too big a case for me to stay behind my desk," Toshiro answered. "I'm far too invested in this case to stay behind."

Maybe it was as personal for him as it was Rangiku.

Those were Police Department weapons. This was his town. They were his hometown's gang. Toshiro had to be there to end it all.

"I can't wait," Rangiku grinned, sending him a bit of smirk.

He had also missed field work with his partner.

The captain sent his officers off to complete their new tasks while he returned to his desk chair, blue prints of the warehouse in hand, preparing to familiarise himself with the entire layout and come up with some strategies for storming the building.

Toshiro couldn't help but eye his phone and mentally prepared himself for the disappointment that would surely follow upon hoping for new messages – or just one, from Ichigo. After checking his phone only to see no notifications so many times that day, Toshiro almost fell over when he saw he had a message from Ichigo.

Fumbling the phone off its charging cord, Toshiro unlocked it to read the message.

**Ichigo, 10:46am:**  
_I got your message and I'm sorry too. I was confronted by it all so I think I overreacted a little. I just don't want to be messed around if you're still into your ex, but I think we should talk about in person. Are you free for dinner tonight?_

Toshiro leaned back into his chair as he read over the message again. Did Ichigo really think he was still into Kusaka? That stung.

That was certainly not the case on Toshiro's side but it looks like it was going to take more than a quick voicemail to assure his boyfriend of the fact.

He typed back his reply quickly.

**Toshiro, 11:12am:**  
_I'm only into you, Ichigo. 7pm at the pier? _

Was it too soon to throw a heart emoji on the end, like he used to? He did it anyway.

**Ichigo, 11.13am:**  
_See you then xx_

Two 'x's was a good sign and Toshiro breathed deeply.

He wished he could have spoken to Ichigo over the phone, to hear his voice like he was so desperate to, and also to better gage his boyfriend's emotions at this stage. It was easy to convey whatever emotion you wanted through text, so it might not speak honestly of Ichigo's true feelings.

He did know that Ichigo was at work today, so maybe a call just hadn't been possible. Toshiro hoped that was the case, and not that he just didn't want to call him.

Still, Toshiro had locked in dinner with him and now he could make it up to Ichigo properly. Maybe he could get Ichigo some nice flowers too? He liked lilies – they reminded him of his mother.

It was a good idea, Toshiro figured, and it could only help him win back Ichigo. The real thing that he knew Ichigo would care about though, was whether he still had any ties to his ex-boyfriend. Until yesterday, Toshiro could have answered that he certainly did not have any contact with Kusaka and it would have been the truth.

Unfortunately, that had all changed yesterday morning, when the asshole had turned up at Toshiro's door, and then again that evening.

No, Toshiro would need to make sure any future incidents like that were off the table completely. He wanted to assure both himself and Ichigo that Kusaka wasn't going to bother them like that again.

The question was how though. Short of murdering his ex or abusing his powers as a cop to arrest him, Toshiro was out of ideas. Ignoring Kusaka wouldn't work. Calling him to ask that he leave him alone also didn't seem like the best of plans.

He thought on it for most of the afternoon, given all they could do on the arms dealing case now was simply wait it out until Yumichika and Ikkaku reported that the shipment had arrived or the time at which it would arrive.

For lunch, Rangiku dragged him out of his office for some fresh air – or the front steps of the station, since that was as far as they could go while they were waiting for urgent news on the case – and some convenience store donuts.

"We're playing into the stereotype a bit, aren't we?" Toshiro muttered, raising an eyebrow as his lieutenant handed him the glazed dessert.

Rangiku shrugged, "It's been a tough day, we need a treat."

Well, he couldn't argue with that. Sighing, Toshiro took a bite out of his donut and looked out onto the street.

The Police Station was situated on Karakura Town's busiest road. It was bustling all day long and today was no exception with shoppers left, right and centre and many business workers out for their lunch breaks too.

It was sunny, the last of the blissful summer weather was hanging on but there was a slight chill in the breeze that told them it couldn't last for much longer.

Toshiro shifted as his gut churned for a moment. He didn't want his relationship with Ichigo to be merely a summer fling that, like the weather, was also on its way out.

Rangiku leaned into him, bumping his shoulder.

"It's going to be fine," she assured him, knowing what he was thinking without him saying anything. "You'll meet with him tonight and you'll sort it out. He really likes you so I doubt he wants to let your relationship go either."

"I hope so," Toshiro sighed before taking another bite.

He chewed as he thought, hoping that Rangiku was right. She usually was about these kind of things, wasn't she? Everything had been perfect before Kusaka interrupted, surely this was just one little speed bump they had to overcome.

"By the end of play today," Rangiku started, voice uplifted, "we'll have Gin, Aizen and Ichigo in handcuffs, and only one of those will be the sexy kind."

Toshiro frowned, "What do you think goes on in my bedroom?"

"I can only assume lots of kinky things," Rangiku grinned and Toshiro rolled his eyes, his lips turning up a little.

"Is that a smile I see?" Rangiku asked, eyes lighting up.

"No," Toshiro huffed and frowned deeply for good measure, leaving Rangiku to be the one to roll her eyes this time.

For a second they shared a look before they turned their gazes back out to the street. Moving here had been a good move. It was their fresh start in a new city, but it was close enough to home that they could travel back whenever they wanted. Unfortunately that had been a bad thing as far as Kusaka was concerned.

"I still don't know what to do about Sojiro," Toshiro exhaled slowly. "I need to cut all ties with him. I need to know he's never going to come back, and I want Ichigo to know that too."

"Get a restraining order?" Rangiku suggested. "I can fill out the application for it today for you."

"He hasn't really harassed me," Toshiro pointed out. "I don't have the grounds for it at this stage."

"_Threaten_ him with a restraining order?" Rangiku offered instead.

"That's an abuse of power," Toshiro countered.

Rangiku only shrugged, "I'd call it being 'proactive'."

Of course she would. She was a great cop, but her moral compass was slightly skewed at times, especially in the interest of protecting someone she cared about.

They finished their donuts in companionable silence before heading back inside the precinct. Toshiro didn't notice it until he got back inside but there was a bit of a nervous energy around the station. Everyone knew – whether they actually _knew it_ knew it or were just reading the tensions of their superior offices – that something serious was looming. It felt ominous, even Momo was doing her filing instead of scrolling through Tumblr, and she looked nervous.

Momo, and all the lower officers, knew very little about the case. It was still highly confidential due to the fact it was police weapons that had been stolen and were at risk of being dealt. If that information got into the wrong hands – especially that of the media's – it would land the entire Police Department in hot water.

With everyone on edge, Toshiro felt his own anxieties stirring. It wasn't just the case, and it wasn't just Ichigo and Kusaka, it was all of them hitting at the same time. He was scared – scared that he would lose his boyfriend, that he would lose the case and risk his job, scared that the reputation of the department that was nearly his whole life was going to go up in flames, scared that Rangiku was going to shoot Gin, or worse, _be shot by Gin_, scared that police weapons would be used to kill an innocent person, scared that-

Well, the list went on and Toshiro suddenly found himself feeling overwhelmed. He quickly reminded himself that he was indeed the captain of Karakura Town Police Department and he would be damned if he was anything but strong in front of his squad.

He needed to take charge when moments like this happened and lift morale in the station, keeping the ship running smoothly and safely.

"Momo," Toshiro called, marching over to the administrator's desk.

"Yes, Captain?" she greeted him, her eyes unusually wide.

"Order pizza," Toshiro lowered his voice. "Enough to feed everyone. When it arrives, put it in the break room and tell everyone it has come from an anonymous, yet _trusted_, source. Put it on my credit card."

He'd throw it on expenses, the department could pay for it since it was their bloody weapons in the first place causing all the stress.

"Yes, Sir," Momo smiled, relaxing noticeably.

"Then I need you to order some lilies for delivery today," Toshiro continued, not missing a beat, not showing any indication that these were in fact apology flowers. "White, long stemmed, as many as a person my size could carry."

Momo blinked in surprise before her face went thoughtful. Toshiro ignored the way her eyes flickered over him, weighing up his size and strength for flower carrying purposes.

He didn't wait for any verbal confirmation from her before he was turning back towards Rangiku's desk.

"Lieutenant," he called to her and nodded back towards his office, the gesture requesting her to follow him.

She did diligently as Toshiro circled his desk and sat slowly into his desk chair.

He sighed – this wasn't going to be his proudest moment.

"Draft up an application request for a restraining order," he murmured. "That's _draft,_ Lieutenant. Save it to your desktop, not the shared drive. Do not send it."

"Copy that, Captain," Rangiku smirked, satisfaction in her eyes.

Toshiro nodded. "You're dismissed."

The Lieutenant left without another word, slipping out of the office and closing the door.

Toshiro had to keep going on this strength roll. He needed to get everything done, and stay at this level until he was finally wrapped back in Ichigo's arms tonight.

He picked up his phone, found Kusaka's number and called it before he could talk himself out of it.

"Toshiro?" the man answered.

"I told you I was seeing someone else and I was happy with him," Toshiro began, skipping the pleasantries. "You kissing me yesterday was not called for. You coming to my home again after I kicked you out was inappropriate, and the way you spoke to my boyfriend was inexcusable."

"You're mad, I know-"

"I am also not done," Toshiro cut back, refusing to be interrupted. "I don't want to see or hear from you again. If I do, I will file for a restraining order. Is that clear?"

"You wouldn't-"

"I would," Toshiro said sternly. "Rangiku is drafting it as we speak."

There was silence on the other end of the phone but Toshiro didn't allow himself a breath. He wasn't allowed to back out now or show any weakness. Things with Kusaka were ending right here and now.

"We had a such a good time together," Kusaka said after a moment, voice softer.

"Exactly," Toshiro agreed. "We _had_ a good time, but it's in the past. It's time to move on, you did it once before."

That was a bit of dig but Toshiro was beyond caring.

"Please don't file the restraining order," Kusaka's voice was cautious. "I'm looking for a new job, they run police checks and I-"

"I won't file it," Toshiro told him, "as long as you stay away from me and Ichigo."

There was an empty sigh on the other end of the phone. Toshiro felt a little guilty, taking things this far, but he wasn't willing to risk it with the man anymore. Ichigo was his priority and Kusaka done nothing but hurt him since their relationship.

"I promise I'll leave you alone," Kusaka agreed at last, voice a little defeated.

"Thank you," Toshiro replied, a little curtly, before hanging up the phone without another word at either end.

Toshiro exhaled in deep relief. Kusaka wasn't a terrible person, so the captain knew that his phone call with his ex would be the last time they spoke.

All he felt was relief and closure. There was no sadness. To him, that could only mean it was the right thing for him. Kusaka held no place in his heart anymore.

Only Ichigo.

He managed himself a small, private smile as the thought processed in his brain. He didn't get to think too long on it, however, because Rangiku suddenly burst into his office.

"Ikkaku called," Rangiku told him, voice urgent. "Aizen and Gin have received the shipment, they're loading it into the warehouse now."

Toshiro's eyes snapped up – this was it, this was the moment they had been waiting for.

"Get the team together and down to the armoury," he ordered. "Full tactical, every cop on site is to have a Kevlar vest and helmet."

"Yes, Sir," she nodded quickly before turning sharply and running off.

Toshiro grabbed his work cell and hurried out after her, already ringing through to Kyoraku. He shouted back to the Sergeant in charge of the uniformed officers that it was go time, which meant he was to hold down the fort until they got back.

The faces of the squad left behind were all a bit alarmed, since it wasn't often their Lieutenant, Captain and entire detective squad ran around the station, getting into tactical gear. Momo looked really uneasy, and he felt bad having kept her out of the loop. She was sweet, she shouldn't be scared.

Toshiro just hoped the pizza would arrive soon.

…

It was well after seven that night and despite plans to meet his boyfriend on the pier, Ichigo stood alone.

Toshiro was never late, at least not without letting Ichigo know first, so Ichigo had tried calling his personal phone and his work phone but they both rang out.

The surgeon had had a really bad day. After the fight with Toshiro last night, a lack of sleep and a gruelling day at work, the only thought Ichigo had to hold onto throughout the day was that soon he would be seeing his boyfriend again and they could put all of this drama behind them.

That was, if his boyfriend planned to show up.

Ichigo wanted to believe he was held up at work – police work was unpredictable, right? – but the more he thought about it, he found his mind straying again, to those ugly images of Toshiro and his ex.

A shrill beep broke Ichigo from his day-nightmare, and it was beep he was all too familiar with – his work pager.

He wasn't on call, but Ichigo called the hospital quickly, ready to take his deteriorating mood out on whoever was after him.

"_Ichigo?" _Orihime answered after the first ring.

"I'm not supposed to be on call tonight," Ichigo snapped into the phone, "and I think I've just been stood up. Someone had better be dying."

That was an awful thing to say, given his line of work, but Ichigo was hardly in the mood to care about that.

Orihime seemed to hesitate for a moment.

"_It's Toshiro,"_ she said at last. _"He's been shot."_

…

**Whoops x**


	6. The Shooter

**This chapter is proudly brought to you by Covid-19. I don't have it, but my holiday did. It was cut short so now I have writing time. Yay silver lining to pandemic virus.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer; I don't know why I thought writing a medical side of this fic was a good idea because I know NOTHING (pls forgive)**

…

Ichigo burst through the Emergency Room doors, eyes wildly looking around, foolishly hoping to see Toshiro sitting in the waiting room, patched up and ready to go home. Of course, it was not the case.

Orihime caught him by his wrist and stopped him in front of the Nurse's station.

"Where is he?" Ichigo asked, ignoring any greetings.

When Orihime had muttered those few words over the phone, Ichigo's whole body had gone into shock. He couldn't remember the rest of his conversation with her, he couldn't even remember how he got to the hospital. He had no idea how much time had passed, he didn't even know if Toshiro was still-

"He's in with Rukia," Orihime told him, not a moment too soon. Her voice was level but Ichigo could tell she was worried. "He needed emergency surgery-"

And like that, Ichigo charged off in the direction of the operating theatres, shaking off Orihime's hold and ignoring all the calls for him to stop.

Orihime caught up to him once they were through the doors when Ichigo stopped to put on some scrubs.

"You can't go in there, Ichigo," she all but shrieked, snatching the blue scrubs out of his hands.

"I need to," Ichigo muttered. "He's my boyfriend."

"You can't burst into an operating theatre," Orihime reminded him, her voice turning more strict nurse than worried friend. "You could distract the surgeon."

"I should be the surgeon!" Ichigo snapped. "He's my boyfriend, I need to-"

"You need to calm down," Orihime cut over him. "You can't perform surgery on your boyfriend, you're too close to it."

Ichigo shook his head and closed his eyes – he knew all this, he knew everything Orihime had said was the truth, not to mention it was just basic common sense.

He was just so scared.

"_It's Toshiro. He's been shot,_" Orihime's words had rung out in his head. Ichigo didn't even know the extent of the injury, but he knew that it couldn't have been a mere flesh wound, not by the tone of Orihime's voice.

He felt thin but warm arms pull him closer and Orihime's familiar scent became stronger as she hugged him.

"I know you're scared," she murmured softly, "but Rukia is in there with him. He's not alone, and you know she isn't going to let him go anywhere."

Ichigo released a shuddering breath as he sunk further into his friend's embrace.

Rukia was a brilliant surgeon, better than him, and trauma surgery was her specialty. If anyone at this hospital could save Toshiro, it was her. Unfortunately, Ichigo was all too aware that sometimes there's nothing anyone could do, sometimes patients couldn't be saved. It was that thought that scared Ichigo to his core.

"Was it bad?" Ichigo asked, torn between needing to know and not wanting to ask. "How did it happen?"

"I don't know if the bullet hit his neck or his shoulder," Orihime answered, voice cautious, "but the wound was bleeding quite heavily when they brought him in."

Ichigo's chest tightened and he let out a sound that was too close to a whimper. The words registered but he couldn't imagine it – Toshiro on a stretcher, pale and bleeding out. _His Toshiro_ – his beautiful, caring Toshiro.

He pulled away from Orihime and turned, leaving the scrubs behind as he went another direction.

"Which theatre?" he asked over his shoulder as he walked.

"Three," Orihime answered, hurrying after him.

Ichigo moved quicker, up the hallway lined with operating theatres until he reached the door that read 'Operation Theatre 3: No Unauthorised Access'.

There was a small window in the door but Ichigo couldn't see much through it, just figures in blue surrounding the operating table. Ichigo swallowed and slipped around the corner to the viewing window. This was a far bigger, far clearer view inside the room. It was mostly used by other doctors watching a surgery take place, or the interns who would take notes, rarely by the friends and family of the person on the table though they did sometimes allow it. It was one-sided so the surgical team couldn't see out, and therefore couldn't be distracted by those viewing.

Ichigo remembered the first time he had watched a surgery through the viewing window. He'd been in university, on placement and taking furious notes.

He remembered being proud of himself for watching it through, not once gagging or cringing or feeling unwell, unlike some of the other student interns that quickly discovered they were not cut out for a career in medicine.

That experience did not prepare Ichigo for this moment, however, as the surgeon found himself gasping and his stomach flipping at the sight.

He could see Toshiro. Much of his vision was blocked by the team of doctors and nurses working on him, but Ichigo could still see that it was his boyfriend on that table. He could see Toshiro's white hair, except that some of it was streaked with red – his _blood_. Teal eyes were hidden under closed eyelids and an anaesthesia mask sat over his nose and mouth, keeping him unconscious.

Orihime caught had up and rounded the corner. She didn't react like Ichigo did but he did see her still for a moment at the sight.

Ichigo could see Rukia, her little figure drowning in blue scrubs, her midnight hair hidden under the hair net. Her eyes were focused as she hovered over Toshiro's body. She worked away furiously, quick and precise. Beside her, Tatsuki was assisting.

There was so much blood.

Ichigo had always been comfortable seeing blood. Hell, he'd cut out organs, reset bones, and stitched up skin. Seeing Toshiro's blood though, was a different story. He felt sick to his stomach. He suddenly knew why some people would faint at the sight of it.

Leaning over a fraction, Ichigo put his hands on his knees to support himself.

"Come on," Orihime murmured, wrapping her arm around his and gently leading him away from the window. "Toshiro's team is in the waiting room, they might be able to tell you more about what happened."

"They're here?" Ichigo asked, his voice croakier than usual. Orihime nodded and continued to pull him back down the hall.

Allowing himself to be guided back out into the waiting room, Ichigo found himself not feeling any less sick. He couldn't believe this was happening, he couldn't believe how everything had changed in a moment and he had no idea if it would ever be the same again.

What if Toshiro didn't survive?

Ichigo flinched hard at the thought, that awful flatline tone haunting in his mind.

"Ichigo," a new voice called his name and Ichigo glanced up to see Rangiku standing in front of him.

She looked at him through worried eyes. He saw his own fears reflected in her icy blue irises and immediately found himself pulling her in for a tight hug. She was trembling.

"He's going to be okay," Ichigo said to sooth her, but in all honesty, he didn't know if what he had said was true.

"I know," she murmured back, but she didn't know. How could she?

When she pulled back from the hug, Ichigo noticed then that she was wearing a pale blue shirt, the sleeves of which were rolled up to her elbows. It had blood on it, the ugly red a violent and stark contrast to the calming blue of the shirt. Ichigo knew it wasn't Rangiku's own - it was Toshiro's. That meant she had been there, possibly even the first responder.

"What happened?" Ichigo asked, pleading for the truth.

He knew Toshiro, and by extension Rangiku, couldn't talk about the details of their ongoing cases often and Ichigo respected that – he couldn't talk about people's medical history, but now his boyfriend had been shot. Toshiro was lying on a metal table with blood in his hair, damn it!

Rangiku guided him over to where she had been sitting, and Orihime returned to the nurses' station. Ichigo was pulled into a seat next to Rangiku and found that other members of Toshiro's team were there too – the bald guy and his flamboyant partner, Ichigo couldn't remember their names.

"I can't be specific," Rangiku sighed. "We were storming a warehouse. We were in full tactical because we knew we were up against some heavily armed individuals. We almost had it locked down, but we were missing one of the main perps…"

Rangiku's voice trailed off and when Ichigo glanced up at her, her steely blue eyes were far away. He knew where she was and reached over to capture her hand. He squeezed it gently, encouraging her to continue the story.

…

_Oddly enough, slamming her criminal ex-boyfriend into wall and hearing the metallic click of the hand cuffs around his skinny wrists was the most satisfying moment of Rangiku's career. It may have even been the most satisfying moment of her love life too._

_She wondered briefly if that hot journalist Shuuhei, the one that worked at the nightclub where Toshiro had met Ichigo, would be interested in this story when the case was all well and done._

"_I've missed your rough play kink, Ran-chan," Gin chuckled despite this hiss of pain._

_Rangiku grabbed him by his chained wrists and the back of his shirt and pushed him to his knees, lining him up with the rest of the Hueco Mundo gang members that kneeled, cuffed and pissed off, in the middle of the warehouse. _

"_You have the right to remain silent," she spat. "I advise you to use it before I knee you in the balls."_

"_Rangiku," Toshiro's voice was stern and the lieutenant turned to see him returning with another gang member in cuffs. _

"_Sorry Captain," Rangiku smirked, "but hey look, I got Gin."_

_She gestured to the silver haired snake on his knees. Despite his current state, the sinister smile that always stretched across his lips was still very much in place._

"_Captain," Gin drawled, unconcerned as always. _

"_Ichimaru," Toshiro greeted tonelessly. "You might not be smiling so much when the judge hands down your sentence."_

_He gestured behind him, where Yumichika and Ikkaku were unloading silver cases from the shipment the Hueco Mundo gang had just received, and opening the cases to reveal none other than the stolen Police Department weapons. _

_The operation seemed successful at this stage. Ikkaku and Yumichika still had to take an inventory of the stolen goods to ensure that all weapons and ammunition were accounted for, but their team had still caught the gang red handed, and had the surveillance evidence and the footage from their body cameras during the raid to prove the gang's illegal activities. They had even managed to arrest almost the entirety of the Hueco Mundo gang, who were now on their knees beside Gin, cuffed and likely pondering their long futures behind bars._

_The only downside of the operation was that the gang's leader, the infamous Sosuke Aizen, had managed to flee. It was frustrating, especially to Rangiku and Toshiro who had been desperately trying to put him away for a long time, but they had to look on the bright side. Aizen had escaped, but his gang, his resources and his business had been captured. He was just man now, albeit a very resourceful man with zero morals or regard for the law._

"_Aye maybe that will be true," Gin chuckled, "but you won't live to see it."_

_Toshiro didn't react and Rangiku almost went to roll her eyes, both unfazed by the death threats they often received from perps in cuffs who were angry at being caught, but it was a movement at the corner of her eye that stopped her cold._

_Rangiku didn't even manage to scream his name before the shot was fired, echoing loudly in the almost empty warehouse. In an instant a second shot was fired and Aizen, who had been standing just beside an old shipping container, fell to the ground, gun clattering beside him._

_The lieutenant's eyes shot to Ikkaku who still had his gun up, shock on his face but no hesitation or remorse for his action, then to Toshiro. His face, rapidly paling, stared at Rangiku. His expression was not like anything she had seen on his face before, and she had known him a long time._

_He fell to his knees and that's when Rangiku found her legs moving again as she rounded Gin and the other perps to get to her captain. Yumichika moved too, as well as the rest of the tactical team, but to control the group of cuffed gang members who tried to__ utilise__ the distraction to escape. Ikkaku moved out of Rangiku's line of vision, probably towards the gang leader he had just shot dead a few metres away. The lieutenant's only concern was with her captain however, who now slumped lifelessly against the cement floor._

_He had been wearing the full tactical ensemble, but Aizen's bullet had managed to hit him on one of the few exposed and vulnerable areas of his body. It had driven right through his skin where neck meets shoulder._

"_Captain!" Rangiku called him, reaching him and rolling him onto his back._

_Blood was already pooling around him, and Rangiku could feel it soaking her trousers from where she knelt beside him._

"_Stay with me, Toshiro," she told him sternly, but he didn't respond. His eyes were closed, his body completely limps. _

_She pressed her hand firmly to the wound, but the pressure seemed to do nothing to slow down the blood escaping him._

_Somewhere behind her, a voice was calling for an ambulance._

"_Just hang in there," she murmured to Toshiro as Yumichika now came to their side too, the arrested gang members locked down again._

…

Ichigo watched as Rangiku released a shuddering breath and wiped away a tear.

"It's my fault," Rangiku breathed. "I was so caught up with my guy, I hadn't seen the shooter coming."

Ichigo shook his head, "It's not your fault."

He didn't want her to blame herself. Ichigo had received a very watered down story, he knew, but still he didn't think Rangiku should take the blame. He knew Toshiro wouldn't blame her, and he had to honour what Toshiro would want right now.

"Toshiro wouldn't want you to blame yourself," Ichigo continued, voicing his thoughts. "He would be so upset if he knew you were."

"He's right, Ran," the flamboyant detective – Yumichika? – agreed.

Rangiku sighed, not seeming to agree with nor argue that.

"Where's the shooter now?" Ichigo asked, reminding them all of who was really to blame.

"Dead," the bald detective said matter-of-factly. Ikkaku? Was that his name?

That was all that was said on the matter after that.

The four of them sat in silence for minutes, all of which dragged on for what felt like hours. Eventually, Ichigo realised that many of the others in the waiting room were also police officers from Toshiro's squad. Some had been there when he was shot, some hadn't, but all of them refused to go home at the end of the day. More trickled in as the evening wore on, ones finishing their shifts at the station or around the town, ones who had been left to wrap up their tasks after the apparent raid. They called Rangiku away to speak to her about the case or whatever else Ichigo wasn't privy to hearing, but then they returned to waiting room.

They all greeted Ichigo like they knew him before they took up a seat or a wall to lean against. Ichigo wasn't sure if he had met them before or not – there were so many here now.

"They really love him, don't they?" Ichigo asked Rangiku, glancing around the filled room.

"He's a great captain," Rangiku murmured in agreement. "They're not going anywhere until they hear that he's okay."

Ichigo felt his heart clench, reminded that maybe Toshiro wouldn't be okay.

Eventually someone bought Rangiku and Yumichika spare clothes, and it was only then that Ichigo noticed the blood on Yumichika's darker clothes too. The two of them went to change and returned a few moments later, wearing KTPD hoodies and police uniform pants and boots.

Not long after that, two new slightly older men entered the waiting room flanked by a thin woman with dark hair and glasses. The men were wearing uniforms like Toshiro's, but with even more stripes and badges. They must have been ranked higher, Ichigo figured, especially when Rangiku and her team stood at their arrival.

"It's okay Lieutenant Matsumoto," one of the men assured her and gestured her to sit. The man had hair as white as Toshiro's, but long and straight, unlike Toshiro's wild untamed spikes.

The other man, with long brunette curls, nodded his agreement.

"Police Chief Kyoraku," Rangiku nodded to the brunette before turning to the white haired man, "Deputy Chief Ukitake. Thank you for coming."

"Wouldn't be anywhere else," Kyoraku smiled sadly. "Any news on our boy?"

Rangiku shook her head, and the two men nodded grimly.

The strawberry blonde cleared her throat before gesturing to Ichigo in what was a clear effort to change the topic.

"This is Ichigo Kurosaki," she told them. "He's Toshiro's _other _partner."

She rolled her eyes, and the two men chuckled. Even Ichigo managed a small humorous scoff at the remark.

"Ahh the famous Ichigo," Kyoraku drawled. "Toshiro is very secretive about you, but I can see now you are as handsome as the rumours suggest."

He winked. Ichigo blinked.

The woman, who Ichigo later found out was named Nanao, ushered the men quickly away and Ichigo slumped back in his seat.

He was glad to see so many people here for Toshiro, but it was very overwhelming too. It felt like they were here to say their goodbyes, it felt like Ichigo was the one person in the room that really shouldn't have been there. After all, his last interaction with Toshiro hadn't been positive. Hell, his last thoughts of the man before he had received the call were filled with anger and distrust.

Ichigo felt sick again. If Toshiro didn't make it, then they would never have made up. Toshiro would have died thinking Ichigo was still mad and potentially worse.

That whole ordeal seemed so stupid now. It was totally irrelevant and insignificant by comparison. Ichigo prayed silently, to every deity he could think of, to his mother watching over him, to Toshiro's parents that were watching over their own son, that they wouldn't let his boyfriend leave this Earth tonight. Ichigo needed to kiss Toshiro again, he needed to hold him again and tell him how strongly he felt for him, and that no deluded ex-boyfriends could get in the way of that.

Almost as if to kick him while he was down, the young woman that Ichigo recognised to be Toshiro's administrative assistant, Momo, entered the waiting room. She was struggling to walk, the biggest bouquet of white lilies that Ichigo had ever seen were held precariously in her little arms. Behind her, a disjointed trail of fallen flowers followed her. Some of the other officers ran to help her, others went to pick up the dropped lilies and added them back into the bouquet. Momo led them over to Ichigo and Rangiku and had the lilies placed on the seat that Yumichika had vacated for them.

Momo huffed, straightening up and dusting her hands.

"I think you went a bit overboard with the flowers," Ikkaku commented dryly.

"Well, the captain said to order as many as he could carry," Momo pouted, "not as many as I could carry."

"Toshiro asked you to order those?" Ichigo frowned at the lilies. Toshiro was in surgery? He wasn't telling anyone anything.

"Yeah, they're for you," Momo informed him. "They said you were here."

Ichigo's eyes snapped up to her. He had no idea who 'they' were but he was more interested in the flowers.

The assistant shrugged at his questioning glance.

"He asked me to order them before the… earlier today," Momo sighed. "He didn't actually say they were for you, but I know that they were. You got him sunflowers the day before and those are his favourites."

Ichigo's eyes shifted back to the flowers and he swallowed thickly. White lilies were his favourites, and Toshiro knew that, they could only be for him. The surgeon suddenly wanted to cry. If their night had gone differently, he would have seen Toshiro struggling up the pier with the lilies to meet him for their date. Ichigo would have laughed, but would have felt his heart lighten and chest relax. They would have dropped the lilies and wouldn't have noticed them blowing away in the wind because they would have been wrapped around each other, kissing passionately.

Ichigo stared them, ignoring the confused and worried glance Momo shot Rangiku before she and the two male detectives discreetly retreated into conversations with the other officers around the room.

Rangiku put her hand on his back and rubbed soothingly. It was just the two of them now, even though the room was busier than ever.

"I don't think he's admitted it to himself yet but I can see it clear as day," Rangiku murmured quietly. "He is so in love with you."

"I reacted so terribly," Ichigo admitted, each word painful. "I-"

Rangiku shook her head and shushed him.

"Don't do it to yourself," she told him. "It was a miscommunication from both of you, leave it at that and focus on a stronger future together."

Ichigo glanced up at her, his eyes filling with warm tears.

"What if-"

"Not going happen," she croaked over him, eyes equally wet.

Ichigo looked away but every quickly had to cover his eyes with his hands. He leaned over in the uncomfortable plastic chair, elbows digging into his knees, desperately trying to hold back a sob. The flatline tone he had heard when he lost his first patient a few months ago rung so loudly in his ears, he couldn't hear his own thoughts. He felt Rangiku curl into him.

They stayed like that for a long time. So long in fact, that when Ichigo felt strong enough to lift his head again, some of the police officers that had been standing were now sitting on the floor. Momo was asleep on Ikkaku's shoulder, and Yumichika was now painting Nanao's fingernails with what was clearly not the first coat.

Intending to check the time, Ichigo pulled out his phone, his movements pausing over the lock screen picture of Toshiro he had set once they had become official. The police captain was smiling, his face so full of life, the sunset lighting turning his hair and skin golden.

He wasn't sure why he did it, probably to torture himself, but Ichigo navigated through his phone to his voicemail messages and held the phone up to his ear to hear his last message.

"_Hey, it's me,"_ Toshiro's voice hit his ears and Ichigo exhaled heavily. _"I'm so sorry Ichigo."_

He sounded so heartbroken. Ichigo had heard the message that morning but now it was worse, so much worse. It seemed so long ago, but it hadn't been. It was his entire fault that Toshiro had sounded like that, and Ichigo wasn't sure he could forgive himself for it. Toshiro's message continued as he tried to explain his perspective but the guilt and desperation in his voice was too much for Ichigo to take.

"_Please Ichigo, let me explain it all in person. I really like you, and I don't want our relationship to end. Please call me back, I just… I want to hear your voice."_

It was horribly ironic now that it was Ichigo that was so desperate to hear his boyfriend's voice, and that maybe he would never get a chance to again. This message might be the only memory he had of Toshiro's voice that he got to keep, and that was truly awful.

Time didn't care though, time continued on painfully. Minutes dragged out to hours, the waiting room was crowded but Toshiro's team didn't budge from the room. They offered up their seats to civilians, some went out to the canteen to get food or coffee, but they didn't go far and they always returned, anxiously waiting for news of their captain's condition.

It was sometime after midnight that finally Ichigo clocked the surgerical theatre doors opening and Rukia emerging. She had removed her scrubs and hair net which were undoubtedly covered in Toshiro's blood, and donned her white doctor's coat. She carried a clipboard, likely with Toshiro's chart on it.

The doors hadn't even closed behind her before Ichigo was out of his chair. The officers in the room sensed his recognition that news was coming and they all turned and stood as Rukia approached.

Her violet eyes locked onto Ichigo's and she nodded to him.

"He's stable," she told him simply. "He's going to be okay."

The room released a collective sigh of relief before there were suddenly cheers and claps, but Ichigo found himself in tears. The news was good, and the tears were of relief and happiness but it was still so painful.

Rangiku was hugging him so tightly, but that wasn't where the pain was coming from.

"Can I see him?" Ichigo asked Rukia, even though he knew the answer.

"Soon," she assured him. "He's in the recovery ward for now."

She stepped forward to give him a hug that was warm and all-engulfing despite Rukia's tiny size. This was beyond what a normal surgeon would do for her patient's friends and family, but she was Ichigo's best friend and she obviously knew what kind of state he had been in waiting outside for any news.

"Thank you," Ichigo whispered to her but she shook her head against his shoulder – she was just doing her job at the end of the day.

Stepping out of the hug after a long moment, Rukia consulted her chart for a moment.

"Okay I'll need to speak to Toshiro's family about the specifics of his condition," Rukia murmured, flipping through the papers. "Who here is his family?"

"You're looking at it," Ikkaku's voice called from the back of the room, and the team chuckled.

Rangiku rolled her eyes.

"Speak to me and Ichigo," she told Rukia and the surgeon nodded, leading them to her office further down the hall.

Rukia's office was very familiar. It was Ichigo's office too, since they shared it. It was weird sitting on the other side of the desk though.

Rukia placed the chart down on her desk and pulled out the x-rays, pinning them against the lit up board so they could see. Ichigo's well trained eyes saw the bullet immediately. It had still been inside him when he had been brought in, and it was wedged right between where Ichigo knew nerves, arteries and muscles wrapped around his shoulder and neck. It was no wonder why the surgery had taken so many hours now.

"So the bullet entered here from behind," Rukia pointed out on the x-ray, "missing the ballistic vest he was wearing. Unfortunately it didn't make it out the otherside, so we had to operate to remove it. Even knowing where it was with the x-rays, it was hard to locate inside him and even harder to remove without damaging something else."

She pulled out a clear canister from her lap coat pocket and put it on the table. Ichigo felt his stomach churning, seeing the bullet sitting so innocently on the desk. It was clean, like it hadn't just been inside a human being, and it was tiny. How could something so small cause so much physical damage?

Rangiku noticeably sighed in relief when she picked up the canister to inspect it closer.

"It's not one of ours," she murmured. Ichigo shot her a confused look but she didn't explain herself.

"He needed multiple blood transfusions," Rukia added. "Luckily, he's AB Positive."

Ichigo raised a surprised eyebrow. It wasn't the most common blood type but it certainly was the luckiest – it could receive any donor's blood type. As far as blood types went, it was the one to have and Ichigo was suddenly very grateful his boyfriend had it, especially in his line of work.

"He is stable now though," Rukia continued. "He is still critical so he'll be under observation for a while, but the bullet is out and everything is stitched back up. We've scanned him for internal bleeding and everything else, and nothing has come up, so it's highly likely he'll make a full recovery."

Ichigo was so relieved at that news. Rangiku too, who held his hand tightly and shook it in excitement.

Rukia ran them through more specifics of his condition and of the recovery process. They wouldn't know until he woke up how much movement he'd have in his neck and shoulder, and whether he would need much physiotherapy. Ichigo vowed to be there every step of the way, he would stay at Toshiro's place for as long as he needed to help him get around and look after himself.

Rukia finished getting them up to speed on the situation and led them back to the waiting room, where Rangiku briefly updated everyone before taking the two senior chiefs aside to speak to them privately. After hearing the good news, Toshiro's team decided to take their celebration to their local bar, vowing to return tomorrow to visit their captain when he was awake.

It was only Rangiku and Ichigo left when Rukia returned and told them they could see the patient now. Ichigo was practically stepping on his friend's heels he was following her so closely through the main ward. She put up with him silently, like a true friend, and led them to a small private room that they had set Toshiro up in.

They entered silently.

The sight of his boyfriend was enough to expel any happy and relieved feelings Ichigo had just been feeling. He had to remind himself that Toshiro was going to be okay, but seeing him prone on the bed, machines connected to tubes disappearing inside him, so still and pale… it was hard to believe any of it. Ichigo moved closer and watched Toshiro's chest rising and falling on its' own and he held onto that thought with everything he had.

Toshiro was breathing – unassisted. He was alive.

Rukia left quietly, giving them space, as Ichigo and Rangiku took up a side of the bed each, once again sitting in uncomfortable plastic chairs. Words weren't said aloud, they just sat in silence as they took one of his hands each and held it. An I.V. tube was taped to the back of the hand Ichigo was holding, and the needle was buried in Toshiro's skin, but it didn't stop the surgeon carefully stroking the captain's knuckles.

Toshiro was still out from the anesthesia and likely would be until morning. He was asleep but he didn't look it because Ichigo knew that Toshiro always slept on his side, slightly curled up. He was cuddler too, so if he wasn't cuddling Ichigo he was cuddling a pillow or the cat-

"Oh Hyorinmaru," Ichigo glanced up at Rangiku suddenly, remembering the feline that slunk around Toshiro's apartment, constantly meowing for food.

Rangiku sighed heavily.

"I'll go feed him," she groaned, getting to her feet reluctantly. "Toshiro would kill me if I let his precious kitten starve."

"He said you were the one that forced him to get Hyorinmaru in the first place," Ichigo pointed out.

"I regret it every day," Rangiku muttered with an eye roll. "He wasn't supposed to love it more than me."

Ichigo grinned at that, his first genuine smile all day. Toshiro pretended not to like his cat, and his cat pretended not to like him either, but everyone else saw the truth.

"I'll get Toshiro some proper pyjamas while I'm there," Rangiku murmured. "He hates those hospital gowns."

That was fair enough, they were pretty much just plastic anyway. Though the idea that Toshiro had been in hospital enough to know he hated them, and for Rangiku to know he hated them, did not sit well with Ichigo.

"I'll probably take a shower, and give his Granny a call to let her know," Rangiku continued. "Do you want me to get anything?"

Ichigo shook his head but paused suddenly, remembering something.

"Actually, there is something you could bring back," Ichigo said. "Big Surgery Bear."

He had been prepared to explain that further but apparently he didn't need to. Rangiku just nodded before turning and leaving the room, pulling car keys from her pocket as she went.

Ichigo turned back to Toshiro, now alone with him, even if he was totally unconscious.

"I'm so sorry, Gorgeous," he murmured.

Reaching up, Ichigo ran his hand through Ichigo's white hair. Thankfully the blood had been cleaned out of his hair and off his skin, but it still didn't feel as soft as normal. Standing out of his chair, Ichigo leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to Toshiro's forehead before he sat back down and took up the captain's hand again.

"I'm going to tell you something when you wake up," Ichigo murmured into the quiet room to a man that couldn't hear him. "It's a bit early in our relationship, and you might not be ready to say it back, but that's okay. I just want to tell you now."

Ichigo never wanted to face a reality where Toshiro didn't know how he truly felt.

Ichigo breathed shakily and laid his head on the bed, resting lightly against Toshiro's outer thigh. He took the delicate hand in both of his and held the fingers to his lips, pressing soft peck to them. They were warm, and that was the most reassuring thing.

The surgeon closed his eyes and breathed. He wouldn't sleep because he wanted to be alert at the first movement Toshiro made as he started to come to.

He was just so relieved to still have him.

…

Toshiro stirred just as the morning sun started to creep over the bed and Ichigo's tired and sore eyes shot to his boyfriend's face which twitched a little.

Across from the surgeon, Rangiku was asleep, slumped in her chair and using none other than Big Surgery Bear as a pillow.

A soft groan left Toshiro's dry lips as his eyelids began to flutter.

"Toshiro?" Ichigo called gently, standing over the captain and cupping his face gently.

Teal eyes opened slowly, pupils trying to adjust to the harsh hospital lights above.

"Ichigo?" Toshiro croaked as he became more aware of his surroundings.

"I'm right here, Beautiful," Ichigo smiled at him, stroking Toshiro's cheek with his thumb gently. "Are you any pain?"

Toshiro shook his head, but then winced, so Ichigo didn't believe him. He reached up to press the nurses call button, letting them know their patient was awake.

Toshiro seemed to notice where he was very quickly then, seeing the machines around him and Rangiku asleep in the chair beside his bed. He frowned at the giant teddy bear he had won Ichigo on their first date, and then realisation seemed dawn when he saw the bunch of lilies that the nurses had kindly collected and put in some (several) vases around the room.

"Did I miss our date?" Toshiro asked suddenly, voice worried and guilt overcoming his face.

Ichigo shook his head and leaned forward to press a calming kiss to the man's forehead.

"We'll go again when you're better," he murmured.

"I'm sorry-"

"I love you," Ichigo cut over the apology.

They had both said their apologies now, neither properly to each other's face, but they didn't need to. Ichigo didn't want to dwell on the past anymore. He wanted to forget that whole ordeal.

He didn't expect Toshiro to say it back, not with what Rangiku had said the night before, but he really didn't expect the captain to laugh suddenly, a sudden tear escaping his eye.

"I love you too," Toshiro returned.

"Yeah?" Ichigo asked with a chuckle, not sure why this was funny to either of them but unable to stop himself.

"Yeah," Toshiro grinned.

"You sure?"

Toshiro rolled his eyes, "Just kiss me. I can't reach you."

Well Ichigo couldn't ignore a patient's request, and certainly not his boyfriend's, so he leaned down and captured his lips with his own.

They kissed until Rukia and Tatsuki arrived and Rangiku woke up, slowly but passionately, their love for each other shared openly.

It was wet, mostly from their tears, but so full of happiness. They were very emotional, for different reasons and yet the exact same reason.

Ichigo knew he was never letting this man go again, and he knew the feeling was mutual.

They were in love.

…

**Yay corny ending! The next chapter will be short and more epilogue-y.**


	7. The Cat

It was well over a year since Toshiro had returned home from work one evening to find his one night stand from The Seireitei still in his apartment, serving up Laksa for the two of them.

It was well over a year since Toshiro had then promised to make Ichigo his special Thai green curry in return.

Tonight wasn't the first time he had made it for his boyfriend, but by the way Ichigo reacted at the first taste, Toshiro might have thought it was.

"Sensational," Ichigo moaned into his bowl, leaning right over it and shovelling curry into his mouth like he had no concern for how hot in both temperature and spice that dish was.

"You're going to burn your tongue," Toshiro chided, but he couldn't stop the small smile or rosy pink that dusted on his cheek at the compliment.

"Worth it," Ichigo managed between mouthfuls.

The captain rolled his eyes playfully and continued to eat his own dinner at a responsible pace, occasionally having to lift the bowl out of the reach of a certain black kitty who was very intrigued my his owner's meal.

Normally Toshiro and Ichigo ate at the table, which Hyorinmaru was certainly not allowed up on, but tonight they were feeling particularly lazy, and had decided to eat on the couch in front of a Sandra Bullock movie. Of course, Toshiro couldn't bring himself to push the cat out of his lap during such snuggle sessions.

When they were finished eating, Ichigo stood, collecting their bowls and took them to the sink. Without even needing to be asked, the surgeon started washing up. It was almost routine now – Toshiro cooked, Ichigo cleaned up afterwards.

Toshiro watched from the couch, scooping the cat up against his chest and contemplating how lucky he had got in life.

It had been several months now since Toshiro had been shot. He was back at work and finally cleared to be back in the field, not that he utilised it much with all the paperwork needing to be done.

It had been several months now since Ichigo had stayed at his place to help during the initial recovery period. He had not left since, and gradually more and more of Ichigo's things found permanent residence in Toshiro's apartment. Neither of them had noticed until Rangiku rolled her eyes and pointed it out.

"So you and Ichigo have moved in together?" she had giggled. "When's the wedding?"

Well there were no current plans for a wedding, but they were looking into finding themselves a nice house together. Not that the apartment wasn't fine enough, it was just small, especially when they had guests over.

"What about West Karakura?" Toshiro called back to Ichigo, picking up the real estate section of their local paper again and scratching Hyorinmaru behind the ears with his free hand. "It's close to work for both of us, and it's very affordable."

"I thought you would have wanted to live close to the seaside?" Ichigo asked from where he was now drying up the dishes he had cleaned. "I saw a lovely place off the high road there, right by the beach."

"Yeah I saw it too," Toshiro sighed. "It does look perfect, but it's way out of our budget, not to mention it would be a half hour ride for you to get into work."

"My dad wants to help us," Ichigo shrugged, addressing the financial issue instead of the distance from work issue, while he moved to putting the dishes away. "I tried to say no but he wouldn't have a bar of it. He's insisting he pays the deposit."

Toshiro raised an eyebrow; as much as he didn't love borrowing money, he knew that Isshin generally got his own way on that sort of thing. The elder doctor had been visiting often since Toshiro had been released from the hospital, and between him, Ichigo and Rukia, the three medical professionals had almost suffocated him in care. Not that he was complaining – it was nice to feel so loved.

"It will be a big deposit," Toshiro murmured. "It will be a long time before we can pay him back."

Ichigo scoffed, returning to the couch. He sat against the arm and manoeuvred Toshiro and Hyorinmaru to sit between his legs, the captain's back against the surgeon's chest.

"He only wants babysitting rights," Ichigo chuckled, pulling a throw over them as Toshiro noticeably stilled.

Babysitting rights?! To what, their cat?!

Ichigo laughed loudly at Toshiro's reaction and poked him gently in the ribs.

"Too early I know," Ichigo chuckled, wrapping his arms around Toshiro's middle and holding him closer, "but it might be worth taking it into consideration when buying a house. You know, for the long run."

"At least put a ring on me first," Toshiro grumbled, rolling his eyes and sinking back into his boyfriend's hold.

"Oh I am going to," Ichigo whispered against the captain's ear before he nibbled it gently.

Toshiro's face went bright red and his lips stretched into a wide grin that couldn't be stopped or stifled. He was glad Ichigo couldn't see his face directly right now, but he sure as Hell could sense it, if the chuckle reverberating off his chest was anything to go by and the apology kiss to Toshiro's snowy crown.

Toshiro didn't respond to the comment, merely picking up the real estate guide again and flipping to the page that was advertising the seaside house in question. He looked at pictures, this time really looking at them.

A big yard for some little orange haired children to run around in. A wide porch that looked over the beach and that could easily fit two rocking chairs for he and Ichigo to grow old together in. A large master bedroom and three other smaller rooms for their friends, family, children, what have you.

Ichigo's chin came to rest on his shoulder – not the side that had been injured in the shooting – and they looked at the glossy advertisement together.

"What do you think?" Ichigo asked softly, arms tightening around Toshiro's middle.

"I think…" Toshiro drawled, "that there are a lot of nice schools in that neighbourhood."

Ichigo chuckled and Toshiro smiled softly to himself, imagining he and Ichigo in this house; kids, cats, friends and family. It was a future he hadn't really thought of until just now, but he realised that he wanted it more than anything.

"I'll call the agent tomorrow," Ichigo murmured. "See if we can arrange a viewing."

Toshiro nodded, discarding the paper to the coffee table and even pushing (gently) Hyorinmaru off his lap, Ichigo released him long enough for the captain to turn over and crawl further up Ichigo's body, pushing the surgeon back down onto his back. Settling himself down on his boyfriend's chest, Toshiro nuzzled into Ichigo's neck and hummed, feeling Ichigo adjust the blanket over them both.

The movie was long forgotten, and the cat returned, sitting happily on Toshiro's back and kneading his spine, nails and all, but the captain couldn't have cared less.

"What are you thinking?" Ichigo asked, voice barely above a whisper as he ran his hand lazily through Toshiro's hair.

Toshiro smiled, "Just how lucky I am to have met you. Who knew I'd find the love of my life in a dirty, dingy nightclub?"

"I guess we have Rangiku to thank for that?" Ichigo chucked and Toshiro rolled his eyes.

"I suppose so."

"Well I am certainly glad for it," Ichigo hummed.

Toshiro lifted his head just high enough to reach Ichigo's lips and he kissed the surgeon slowly. Ichigo's lips opened happily for him and they moved together, familiarity and happiness bubbling between them.

"I love you," Toshiro murmured when they eventually pulled back.

Ichigo cupped his cheek and pressed another light kiss to the captain's tingling lips.

"I love you too."

…

**That's it from me, kids! Hope you enjoyed this story – if you did, let me know in a review ;)**

**Geisha out xoxo**


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